Power Rangers: Eidolon Might
by DC-MarvelGirl 1997
Summary: William "Billy" Cranston never once thought he would have any spiritual belief, much less belief that he would have a career after changing majors from science to history. After an expedition in Egypt that goes wrong, Billy heads to the small town of Crystal Cove to become a history and mythology teacher, where a group of teenagers with attitude become in possession of power.
1. Hellfire Rising

**A/N: **

**Greetings, everyone. I'm here again with another Power Rangers story for you all. I've got a feeling if you love my story Mighty Morphin Legacy, then you will thoroughly enjoy this one. This story is along the lines of what my ideal Power Rangers show would be like. It's a story that I feel Super Sentai and Power Rangers would never bother to attempt at, and is based on my own ideas of what I would want. **

**Of course, I am thrilled Austin St. John is joining Beast Morphers this fall. However, in this story, I am giving some TLC to my favorite Ranger, Billy Cranston. I'm one of the many out there who did not like the way Billy was treated during Zeo. A huge part of this is due to David Yost saying he walked off set due to homophobic harassment he faced. In many ways, I'm bummed out because he's made it so clear that he isn't coming back to do a Power Rangers show unless it's a union company. So, this is my way of doing a story for Billy. In this version, Billy never super-aged and went off to live on some other planet. I want to make that clear here. In this story, you will get a taste of the various characters I will bring in. The characters are Miles Robins, Chloe Cambridge, Beth Sampson, and JT Sterling, just to give you the names. **

**Now, time for the summary: **

**Historian and museum curator William "Billy" Cranston is on a trip through the Middle East and Africa, going on an expedition looking for various artifacts that are said to be evidence of religion. However, on his trip, he finds five crystals in the colors of blue, pink, red, black, and gold. Unfortunately, his discovery of these crystals brings forth new threats to Earth that he would not have expected. **

**After his discovery of the crystals, Billy decides to quit being a museum curator and goes on to becoming a World History and Mythology teacher at Crystal Cove High School in Crystal Cove, California. There, he embarks on an adventure that unexpectedly pulls him back into the Ranger world once again. **

**Be sure to REVIEW! I thrive off any reviews and constructive criticism you may have to offer. **

**DC-MarvelGirl 1997**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Hellfire Rising **

_Journal Entry 1 _

_Date: September 1__st__, 2019 _

_Today marks the day that I embark on the profession I'd only dreamed of having. For years, I'd always figured I would have a career in science or mathematics. I was so sure I would end up being a forensics analysist, or a doctor with his own private practice. Even a genetic engineer seems appropriate. _

_I'd never figured that I would have a career in history. _

_I surmise that I'd just discovered a new passion while I was in college. _

_It's ironic. I'd started off college as a science major, with a mission of becoming a forensics analysis. One day, my history teacher made me open my eyes, and it made me want to learn even more. So, I'd changed majors from science to history. _

_And in this time of being a history major in University, I became attached to it heavily. I hadn't realized just how much I could learn from the past. _

_The older you get, the more you learn. _

_That was one of the many lessons my late mentor and second father, Zordon, taught me. _

_In high school, I'd thought I was nothing more than the class nerd. I'd thought the only thing that I would have to be concerned with in high school was getting top grades and avoiding getting beaten up by Bulk and Skull before lunchtime. I'd thought that my free time would consist of me, hanging out in the Youth Center and Juice Bar with my four best friends, Kimberly Hart, Jason Lee Scott, Zack Taylor, and Trini Kwan . . ._

_Just thinking about Trini and her death brings forth the regret that I feel about not having told her how I'd felt about her . . . how much I'd cared about her. Her brown eyes just simply lit up the room. I remember her laugh. I remember her courageousness. However, I hadn't realized how much closer the five of us would get after Zordon selected us to become the world's first Power Rangers. _

_As the blue Ranger, I held the power of the triceratops, then the wolf. I was on the quiet side, but that also made me swift and cunning against enemies who underestimated me. Jason often told me I was the "secret weapon". I'd never thought I was that special. Jase was our leader . . . and then Tommy Oliver joined our team and eventually received the white Ranger powers, gifted to him by Zordon. After Jason stepped down and he, Trini, and Zack left for Switzerland, Tommy stepped up as we gained new friendships in Aisha Campbell, Adam Park, and Rocky De Santos. _

_Aisha, Rocky, Adam, Kim, Tommy and I were spirit brothers and sisters. That is a bond that can never be broken. We are spiritually bonded together forever, and I will protect that bond until the bitter end. _

_Now, we've gone our separate ways. Last I heard, Tommy and Kimberly are now married with a son. This was especially since they named me, Kim's replacement Katherine, and Jason, their son's Godparents. That brings me a tangible sensation of warmth, considering I hadn't gotten married or settled down with anyone yet. Being in my mid-thirties, of course, I've got my concerns about that. Jason and Kat have recently settled down and had just gotten married last summer; Jase had asked me, Tommy, and Zack to be his best men. _

_Of course, seeing Kimberly and Tommy there with their five-year-old son J.J made me realize I'm still single and in my thirties. Those two had gotten their act together all the way back when Tommy was a science teacher in Reef Side. That leaves Zack and I as the lone men looking for the right women to be part of our lives. _

_It's frustrating being single at my age. Nevertheless, my career hasn't made it easy attempting at finding love. In fact, one of the only female companions that I've got in my assistant, Erika Valerio, who is joining me on my quest of finding artifacts throughout Israel, Egypt, Syria, and . . . I shudder to say it, Afghanistan. Although I am well-versed in Persian and Farsi, it still frightens me that I am going to be touring through the Middle East looking for artifacts for the museum I'm currently working at. I was given the task to look for religious artifacts. _

_It's a given that I am not the most religious person. I'd always taken comfort in science and knowledge and facts. I still do not believe yet in the unknown; what's invisible to the naked eye. I can only surmise I'd lost my sense of faith after the death of my mother, who had passed away from cancer when I was eight years old. If God was so good, why would he take away my mother? _

_However, I cannot complain. My boss is offering me a generous payment for going on this quest along with my good friend, Tommy Oliver's, paleontology team. _

_It's going to be a month long. _

_Well, I might as well cap it off here. Until next time . . . _

Billy Cranston closed his journal as he pushed his horn-rimmed glasses up his nose. Examining his reflection in the mirror he kept in his tent, he took notice to the beard he'd grown. He was wearing khaki pants, hiking boots, and a white, button-up shirt that was opened slightly, revealing visible chest hair. Reaching for his razor, he mentally prepared himself to shave the beard, when his partner, Erika, came into the tent.

She had her long, auburn hair pulled back in a tight French braid, and was wearing khaki shorts, a white tank, a bandana tied around her neck, a pair of Vera Wang sunglasses, a floppy hat, and hiking boots. She currently had a denim jacket on as she took a swig of her water. Pulling her sunglasses down, it revealed her warm brown eyes.

"Erika, has anything been found?" he asked her.

"Doctor Oliver thinks he's found something," Erika informed him.

"Stupendous," Billy said to her with a smile, getting up from where he sat at the desk in the tent.

Following his assistant out of the tent, Billy pulled a pair of sunglasses on over his glasses, and stepped into the Israeli sunlight. The scorching temperature hit him instantaneously as he followed Erika to where his best friend, Tommy, was.

Tommy was knelt down on the ground, examining something in his hands. It was a faded piece of fabric that was ripped slightly.

"Tommy, what've we got here?" he called out.

Tommy turned to face his friend of nearly twenty years. He had a bandana covering his mouth and nose, and the sleeves of his dress shirt were pushed up. He had long slacks on just like Billy, and unlike Billy, was wearing wingtips.

"I think I found one of the artifacts mentioned on your list." Holding up a photograph of what was supposedly Mary's veil, he said, "Does this resemble anything like the veil in the photo?"

Billy knelt next to his best friend and got a closer look. "Affirmative," he said. "Another piece of Mary's veil found on this trip. Though I will have to authenticate it once we are back home."

"Do you think we might find the wooden pieces of the cross Jesus was hung on?" asked Erika.

"I cannot be certain per say, Erika. After all, we only have got a week left here in Israel, and then, we head to Egypt. The last stop, as you know, is Syria," Billy said, wiping some sweat off his face with a handkerchief.

* * *

**_One Week Later_**

A week had passed since their stop in Israel. Now, Doctor Tommy Oliver, Doctor Billy Cranston, and Erika Valerio were in the deserts of Egypt. Their campsite was located near what was thought to be King Tutt's Tomb.

Billy laid there on his bunk, staring up at the top of the tent. Tommy was over on another bed in the tent, replying to an email from Kimberly, who was watching their son with help of Jason and Katherine.

_Dear Kimberly, _

_Words cannot describe just how much I miss you. I think about you and our son every day. Knowing J.J, he's got a wild streak, just like his father. _

_Be sure to give my boy a big hug and kiss for me. And give Katherine and Jase Billy and I's love. _

_Love, _

_Tommy _

Tommy finished writing the email and sent it. However, looking over at his best friend, he could see the look of loneliness over Billy's features.

He and all the other Rangers knew just how deeply Billy had cared about Trini before she'd passed away in the car crash. Tommy remembered how Billy had broke down sobbing at the funeral, especially after his eulogy. Everyone there could sense that Billy had loved Trini as more than a friend.

"You doing okay over there, buddy?" asked Tommy.

Billy nodded, closing his eyes as he sat up on his cot. "Affirmative, Tommy. I'm alright."

"I miss Trini too, alright?" Tommy whispered. With the anniversary of Trini's passing quickly approaching, Tommy could tell it was all weighing much heavier on Billy.

"You don't get it, Tommy," Billy said with a shake of his head as tears threatened to come to his eyes.

"Oh, I think I do. Kim does, too. We all know you loved her as something more than a sister," Tommy said.

Billy looked at Tommy incredulously. "H-How?" he asked.

"We aren't that oblivious, my friend," Tommy said.

"I just . . . I hate that I missed my chance with her," Billy admitted.

"I know," Tommy said, nodding sympathetically.

Suddenly, they were distracted by Erika coming into the tent. "Doctor Oliver, Doctor Cranston, you might want to come and look inside the pyramid. We think we found something."

"Let's go." Billy rose off the cot and he and Tommy walked out of the tent and towards the pyramid. Walking inside, they were met with the dusty, musky smell of the pyramid and the images of ancient hieroglyphics. However, something caught Billy's eye as he walked inside towards the center of the pyramid.

Walking up to a tombstone, he could see it resembled King Tutt's. However, there was an odd sensation that filled the air as he opened it. Opening the tomb, he could see that there were four crystals resting inside.

"What the –?" Billy wondered as he picked one up. Each crystal was in an individual color of red, blue, black, gold, and pink.

Examining the crystals closely, he could see that they had an aura around them. However, upon feeling the physical contact of them, he could hear a faint laughter filling the air.

The laughter was cold . . . chilling. It was something that sent a shiver down Billy's spine as he quickly shoved the crystals into his rucksack. Whatever those were, the last thing that he wanted was for anyone to get their hands on those.

However, as he began running out of the pyramid, he could hear vibrating. Looking above him, he could see that the walls were beginning to cave in.

'_Well, shit!' _he thought as he raced out of the pyramid before it could fully collapse over him. Rushing out of the pyramid, he noticed Erika and Tommy near the entrance.

"GET OUT OF HERE, GUYS!" he yelled out to them.

Tommy and Erika took notice that the walls to the pyramid were beginning to fall and break apart. Nodding, the three ran out of the pyramid. Before their very eyes once they got out, the entire pyramid collapsed down in on itself, disintegrating into nothing but ashes.

"What the hell?" asked Tommy in bewilderment.

Billy could only stand there, gasping in shock. Deep within his rucksack, the crystals glowed intensely.

None of them realized those crystals contained power.

* * *

**A/N: **

**Well, what do you think? Love it? Hate it? Are you interested in reading more? Fire away in the reviews, folks. **


	2. Miles Robins

**A/N: **

**Okay, so I decided to change the rating from "T" to "M", due to some mature themes that this story will be exploring, such as child abuse and sexual abuse. This is definitely a more grounded Power Rangers type story. There will be warning at the beginning to chapters including these more graphic details. It's going to be considerably darker and not what one would typically expect to see from Power Rangers.**

**This chapter here is an introduction to Miles - the Red Ranger**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Miles Robins **

The intense aroma of various spices filled the Robins household.

For nine-year-old Bella Robins, it was a scent that she did not find comforting in the least.

"Seriously, Dad?" asked Bella in her typical sassy tone. Her long blonde hair was pulled up in two pigtails, and her blue eyes were narrowed as her father, Greg Robins, leaned over the stove, preparing a huge pot of his famous chili while cornbread baked in the oven.

"What? You're not in the mood for Dad's world-famous chili recipe?" Greg asked his daughter with a teasing grin on his face. He'd already thrown in two habanero peppers, dark chocolate, a jalapeno, a whole can of tomatoes, tomato paste, and cans of black and brown pinto beans. While Greg Robins wasn't much of a "cook", one of the many things that he was good at was making a huge pot of chili. He'd had to adapt especially after the passing of his wife, Emelia.

Two years ago, his wife, Emelia, had passed away from ovarian cancer. It had hit the entire family hard, but no one more so than his son, Miles.

Miles was his oldest child and his pride and joy. It got to a point where Greg was truly pushing Miles to be the best athlete he could be, so every day after school, he'd train Miles in kickboxing and wrestling. His son was proving to excel at the sports, to the point where he was bringing home gold medals and trophies and awards.

"No, actually, I'm not," said Bella, bringing her dad back to think about what was being made for dinner at that moment. "All you ever know how to make is chili! Why can't we order pizza?! Besides, why do you always have to put chocolate in your chili?"

"That's called _mole. _That's the Robins family secret to good chili," Greg said, winking at his youngest.

Before Bella could say anything else to her father, her older brother Miles came into the house. His long blond hair was tied back in a ponytail, and he was drenched in sweat from having gotten through his second round of cardio of the day. He was wearing a red tank top and a pair of black shorts, as well as black Nikes.

"Hey, son. Did you get all your cardio in?" asked Greg to his son.

"Yes, Dad," said Miles, sighing heavily, while internally rolling his eyes before quickly making his way up to catch a hot shower.

Once in his bathroom, he stripped himself free of his sweaty workout clothes and stepped into the steaming hot water of the shower. The fourteen-year-old closed his eyes as he allowed his sore muscles to relax under the steam, reaching over to grab shampoo to wash his hair.

If it were up to Miles, he wouldn't be involved in kickboxing at all.

Half the reason why he did it was to make his dad happy.

The other half of the reason was to prove his rival, Paul Hadlock, wrong.

For years, he'd taken nothing but abuse from the likes of Paul Hadlock, who would spend much of his time harassing Miles because he acted like a big-shot. So, for Miles, competing against Paul brought him an odd sense of satisfaction that he could at least beat him at something.

But it wouldn't be his first choice.

All his dad could ever talk about after his mom passed away two years ago was kickboxing and wrestling. His dad obsessed over it and wanted his son to be the best.

But the pressures of pleasing his father were at times too much for the fourteen-year-old to bear.

Once he rinsed his body off, he dried off and changed into sweats and a t-shirt. However, as he entered his bedroom, he could hear a shouting match going on next door to him.

It did not surprise him, though.

It was common to hear Dell and Kori Cambridge going at each other's throats. The entire block could hear them screaming and cursing each other.

"I FUCKING HATE YOU! ALL YOU DO IS SIT ON YOUR LAZY, FAT ASS DRINKING! HOW'S ABOUT YOU TRY _WORKING _TO HELP PAY FOR SOME CHILD SUPPORT?!" screamed Kori.

"SHUT UP YOU WHORE BITCH! DON'T FUCKING TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!" screamed Dell.

"BOTH OF YOU, STOP IT PLEASE!" cried their daughter, Chloe. Her voice sounded like a shriek.

"STAY THE FUCK OUTTA THIS, CHLOE! GO TO YOUR ROOM, WORTHLESS LITTLE SHIT!"

"DON'T TALK TO HER LIKE THAT, DELL! LOOK IN MY EYES!"

Soon enough, Miles saw his next-door neighbor and classmate, Chloe Cambridge, coming into view through her white, lace curtains. His window giving him a clear view of Chloe's bedroom, he could see her pink-and-white striped wallpaper, her black and pink lacy bedding dressed with teddy bears, and her espresso-colored furnishings. Miles saw Chloe slamming her door shut, tears dripping down her face and sobs escaping her. Her strawberry-blond hair was in her face, and her hazel eyes were filling with tears as her body shook. She was wearing heavy black bracelets, the hot pink plaid shirt, black shorts with tights underneath, and black Doc Martins she'd worn to school that day.

Chloe was opening her bedroom window to step onto her balcony. He could see her climbing up to her roof, just sitting there and crying.

He knew Chloe . . . or at least he knew who she was. She was on the yearbook committee and was also in the school's art club. She was talented with photography and wrote amazing articles. She was often seen wearing feather hair extensions in her hair, and wore a punk style of clothing. She was also known for being in a rock band, as well, and played the electric guitar.

From afar, Miles thought that she was one of the coolest girls in school. She got along with everybody, or so it seemed. The exception would be Paul Hadlock and his best friend Brandon Munroe. Those two always seemed to get pleasure out of harassing everyone, and a girl as cool as Chloe was no exception to it, either.

Looking at her from his window, Miles couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for the girl. Almost everyone knew how badly her parents fought. Everyone in town knew.

Miles knew all too well, because he was her next-door neighbor. His father had come to Chloe's house multiple times telling Chloe's parents to quiet down.

Miles breathed out a sigh as he turned away from his window, knowing if he stayed too long, Chloe would know that he'd spent a good amount of his time just staring at her.

Walking downstairs, he could smell the intense aromas of his father's chili, which was ready to be served. He took a healthy portion of it and sat at the table, eating dinner with his father and sister as the shouting matching between Kori and Dell Cambridge continued.

"Are they kidding me? They know I've got a nine-year-old, right?" asked Greg, incredulously.

"I don't think they care, Dad," Miles said with a heavy sigh, eating a spoonful of his chili.

The longer they sat there, the shouting match between the Cambridges continued, until finally, Greg had enough.

"I'm calling the police, for God's sake!" he grumbled, grabbing the phone to call Crystal Cove police.

"_Crystal Cove PD how may I help you?" _asked Chief Sterling on the other end.

"Yes, I'm calling to report a disturbance coming from the Cambridge household, sir," Greg said.

"_I figured. At this point, you're practically one of our regular callers calling to complain against them," _said Chief Logan Sterling. _"I'll be there in five minutes." _

"Thank you," said Greg.

And before they knew it, the police were showing up at the Cambridge household, silencing the argument.

It was becoming quite the routine that followed.

And Miles more than anything was sick of it.

He couldn't begin to imagine how Chloe must have felt.


	3. Chloe Cambridge

**A/N:**

**This is where the Rated M rating comes in, everyone. Warning, because this chapter contains some dark themes of child abuse, as well as self-harming.**

**This chapter introduces Chloe - the pink Ranger.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Chloe Cambridge **

She sat there in the local juice bar and gym, focusing intently on her current project: a charcoal sketch she'd been working on over the course of the past few days.

Chloe Cambridge was doing everything that it took to not return home. If that meant just sitting around at the local gym in Crystal Cove, then, she was more than willing to do just that.

Keeping her earbuds plugged in her ears, Linkin Park's "Runaway" blared as she willed herself to fall into a bliss of Chester Bennington's vocals and her current drawing. She wasn't sure if she was drawing anything in particular. She was just looking for some form of a distraction.

Sipping her white chocolate, raspberry, banana smoothie, Chloe focused on the charcoal staining her hands as she drew across the paper. Anything that could distract her from her home life, she was more than willing.

Chloe wasn't sure when it had started. She'd never remembered her parents to truly love each other. All she could ever remember from her childhood was their vicious fights. Her father wasn't employed and did not want to pay for child support, and her mother was struggling trying to build a career by going to school at a local community college while waiting tables at a diner just to make ends meet. However, that meant more than a few uncivil arguments between her parents.

Sometimes, their fights got physical. They would punch each other and throw things. However, neither one of them seemed to take notice how this affected their daughter. Chloe did not have many friends at school, because nobody wanted to be friends with the girl whose parents were known for having arguments the whole neighborhood knew about.

Pausing to take a sip of her smoothie, Chloe pushed down a couple of her black, leather bracelets, gingerly touching the scars that were there.

Nobody knew that in secret, Chloe did things to help her cope with her parents fighting at home. She did things that she was not proud of, to say the least.

She suffered in silence while the rest of the world guessed and made assumptions about her.

Chloe gingerly lifted her shirt up to examine the bruise on her hip.

Nobody knew how much her father loved using his belt on her.

Tears filling her eyes, Chloe desperately tried to distract her mind by drawing. A few feet away, she saw her bandmates Sebastian, Charlie, and Candace weightlifting. More than anything, she was tempted to reach for the box-cutter she kept in her backpack, hide in the bathroom, and start cutting.

But she held back.

She would wait until she got home.

It wasn't like her parents would take notice to anything that she did. They barely praised her for being good at art, photography, or music.

Not too many people took notice to her interests.

Over where the gym equipment was located, Chloe noticed her next-door neighbor, Miles Robins, sparring with his father.

In many ways, Chloe envied Miles.

Sure, she did not speak to him; he was completely out of her league to begin with. He was a jock; he kickboxed and wrestled. He and his dad seemed so close. She wished she were that close to her parents.

Glancing back down towards her drawing, she continued to focus. Suddenly, she found she was craving a cigarette.

Gathering up her belongings and shoving them into her bookbag, she walked out of the gym, and sat on the benches outside. Pulling out a cigarette, she lit it up, placed it to her lips, and allowed a puff of smoke to escape.

The drag of the cigarette brought her an odd sense comfort as the smell alone filled her lungs. She often stole the cigarettes from her dad. Not that he would care. He had huge stashes of them all around the kitchen.

Taking another drag off her cigarette, Chloe stared up at the graying clouds above her. She'd read in the weather forecast that they were expecting rain. Suddenly, she felt a rain drop pelt down on her nose.

Pulling her strawberry blond hair back into a ponytail, she proceeded to start heading on home. Finishing off her smoothie, she threw the empty cup in the garbage and began to walk home.

However, she'd rather not return to her house.

As she walked home, she did not even take notice to the fact that she was bumping into someone.

It was head cheerleader, Beth Sampson.

"Hey, watch where you're going, freak!" spat Beth angrily, her dark eyes turning to a glare. Her textured black hair was pulled back into a high pony, and of course, she was wearing her blue and gold cheer outfit.

"Sorry," Chloe responded curtly.

"It'll take a _lot _more than sorry, emo bitch!" Beth snapped, shoving Chloe to the ground. Chloe felt her knee scraping as she fell. She watched as Beth stalked away, her hair bouncing as she walked towards the gym.

Forcing herself up despite the pain she was in, Chloe allowed her eyes to fill themselves with tears as she headed home. Making her way to her and Miles' street, she felt relief that her parents were not home.

Finally, she could get at least a couple hours of quiet before the storm started.

Unlocking the door, she stepped inside the house, and proceeded to head to the kitchen to make herself dinner. Pulling out what would be needed for a tuna salad sandwich, she proceeded to make her dinner.

Placing some Italian bread in the toaster, she waited until the bread got crispy before placing on the tuna, lettuce, tomato, and onion and cutting the sandwich in half. She reached for a bag of sea salt and vinegar potato chips and a bottle of water, and proceeded to take her dinner upstairs to her bedroom.

Sitting at her desk, Chloe began eating, but her stomach was filled with knots. She hadn't even bothered to tend to her scraped knee. The stinging of the wound felt surprisingly good. It felt sickly satisfying to her.

Once she was finished eating, she headed towards her shower. Turning on the water, steaming hot, she allowed it to burn as it flowed over her head. It was then she allowed her sobs to escape her chest as she reached for a razor, and began to cut into her wrists.

She watched as the blood flowed from the cuts. She sat there in shower, leaning her head back and sobbing hard.

She would take anything else but this hell of a life she was stuck living in. Reaching for her shampoo, she began washing her hair as she continued to cry.

'_Why? Why me?' _she thought. _'What have I done to deserve this? I'm a good person . . . or at least I think I am. Why?' _

Downstairs, she heard the door slam open and her father's violent screams.

"CHLOE DARLEEN CAMBRIDGE! GET THE FUCK DOWN HERE, _NOW_!"

Chloe continued to sit there in the shower, sobbing. She knew her father was just going to scream in her face for not cleaning the kitchen. When she didn't come out of the shower after five minutes, she heard her father stomping up the stairs to her room. He yanked the bathroom door open so hard, she thought it was going to fly off its hinges. He yanked the shower curtain open and grabbed her by the wrist, dragging her wet, naked body across the bathroom floor and down the stairs. He took his belt off and began beating her.

Chloe screamed loudly each time she felt the belt striking her. She did not know how long the whipping continued, but her father soon ended it with a kick to her stomach.

"CLEAN THIS MESS UP, BRAT!" he screamed down at her.

Chloe nodded, forcing her sore body up and off the floor. She walked to the kitchen and cleaned out the sink, before staggering back up to her bedroom. She walked into her bathroom again, but this time, just sat there on the tile floor, burrowing her face into her knees and sobbing. She grabbed her razor and began slashing her wrists again, until finally, she started to dry off her body and hair with a towel. She got dressed into sweats and a hot pink sweatshirt. She pulled on a pair of slippers, brushed her hair, and washed her face.

Walking back into her bedroom, she decided to try and go up to her rooftop – her favorite place of solitude – to try and play her guitar.

Strumming at the guitar, Chloe allowed the sound of the music to block everything away as she cried softly. However, as she played, she noticed Miles watching her from his bedroom window. His eyes held a shocking look of sympathy.

"Hey . . . Chloe," he said.

"Y-You know my name," she said in surprise, climbing down from the roof to step back on her balcony.

"Well . . ." Miles began saying.

"Just surprised." Chloe brushed the tears off her face. "I mean, we know who each other are, but we don't _know _each other. Besides, why do you care?"

"I just wanted to see if you were okay. That's all," Miles said to her. "You know the whole block probably heard –"

"Stop," Chloe said, holding a palm up. "I don't want anyone to throw me a pity party."

"Well, look, we are neighbors. I just wanted to make sure," said Miles.

Chloe nodded. "Thanks," she said as Miles shut his window.

Little did Miles realize; his words of concern were exactly what Chloe had needed to hear that day.

Finally, someone noticed.

Someone cared enough to notice.


	4. Beth Sampson

**A/N: **

**WARNING: This chapter contains some pretty heavy details including rape. If you are sensitive to such things, please skip this chapter. **

**This chapter is the introduction to Beth - the blue Ranger.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Beth Sampson **

While Chloe Cambridge was suffering at home in solitude, Bethany "Beth" Sampson was having the time of her life that night at a local house party, hosted by Brandon Munroe – captain of the wrestling team.

Beth and a large pack of her cheer friends were sitting in the hot tub, dressed in bathing suits and drinking bottles of dark stout beer, laughing hysterically with one another.

As head cheerleader, and one of the most popular girls in her grade, Beth stood out in more ways than one. Her beauty was the most unique out of all girls in school. Her wavy, textured black hair, deep brown eyes, and ebony skin made her the girl most kids at school envied. She came from well-off parents; her father, Henry, was a real-estate broker and her mother, Penelope, was a makeup artist for high-end clientele.

It sure made Beth feel like she was at the top of the world.

And now, she was living the high life, partying it up at Brandon Munroe's beginning-of-the-school-year house party.

Loud rap music blared from the speakers and shook the house. The smell of beer, wine, and other hard liquors were strong in the air. But Beth's drunken laugh carried throughout.

Taking another sip of beer, Beth allowed her body to relax under the hot tub's jets before she climbed out of the hot tub. She wrapped a towel around her body, and proceeded to go to the bathroom to change back into her jeans and blue blouse. In the bathroom, she fixed her makeup, applying more lipstick.

Walking out of the bathroom, she joined everyone else on the dance floor, laughing with her friends, Darcy and Amanda, before going to get another drink.

Pouring herself more dark beer, she took another sip, relishing in the strong flavor of dark liquor. Suddenly, she felt Paul Hadlock grabbing her wrist, laughing with her as he reached for a cup of beer.

"Some party, huh, Beth?" he asked her.

"Oh yes, Paul," Beth said, her voice slurred from the alcohol as he led her up to a guest bedroom. Beth's drunken laughter continued to fill the air along with the booming music.

She was too drunk to realize Paul wasn't drunk at all. In fact, he was for the most part sober and had no alcohol in his system. He continued leading her up to the bedroom, closing the door behind him and locking it.

The music shook the bedroom door as Paul proceeded to unbutton his pants and slip off his boxers and his shirt, before he began unbuttoning Beth's blouse.

Beth was too drunk to take notice to what this boy was doing to her. He unbuttoned her jeans and slid off her panties, before throwing her bra off. His hands traveled all over his body, starting with her breasts. He squeezed them in the palms of his hands before leaning over and forcefully kissing her on her mouth.

Finally, he entered her.

Blood seeped from between Beth's legs as Paul pounded into her body and bit and kissed her neck, leaving hickeys. After about fifteen minutes, he got off Beth's body and threw her down onto the floor, before pulling out his cellphone and taking photographs of her naked body.

He then sent the photographs to all classmates at the party, which was about twenty-five people. He wrote in the text:

"_**I fucked her good, and she loved it. She begged for it. Is this the kind of girl YOU would want to bring home to meet your parents?" **_

Once the text was sent, Paul proceeded to leave Beth's drunken form on the floor. Beth drunkenly got up from the bedroom floor, sliding her clothes on messily and climbing out of the bedroom window, falling into the bushes below.

* * *

_**The Following Monday **_

When Beth walked into school the following Monday, she could sense that there was tension in the air. All weekend, none of her friends had texted her back. Her friends had ignored her at cheer practice all Saturday. All she knew was that her cheer teammates were giving her filthy looks all Saturday long.

She didn't understand why.

Last Friday, she was partying and having the time of her life.

Now, nobody even wanted to look at her.

Entering the hallways, she was greeted with everybody glaring at her in disgust.

However, something caught her eye.

She saw photographs of herself up all over the hallways. They were photos of her naked, stripped of her clothes with comments written all over the pictures in red Sharpie.

"_Best ass in freshmen class!" _

"_Slut." _

"_Whore." _

"_Whore-Bitch." _

"_Pig." _

"_Wonder what she's like in bed."_

"_Wow, she's nasty." _

"_Is this the kind of girl you want to bring home to meet your parents?" _

Beth's face blanched in shock especially as she approached her locker. On the locker door written was the word "whore."

She felt nothing but mortification as she opened her locker, only to see condoms flying out of the locker. Suddenly, she felt pairs of arms shoving her hard against the metal door of her locker.

Turning around, she could see Darcy and Amanda standing there, glowering at her with hate-filled eyes. Darcy grabbed her by her hair and pulled her down to the ground, kicking her hard in the stomach.

"You _bitch! _Trying to get with my boyfriend!" Darcy screamed.

Beth stood up, saying, "I don't know what you're _talking _about!"

"You know what we're talking about! Paul texted us Friday night saying you fucking begged for him to get in bed with you! You pulled him on top of you and begged him to have sex with you!" screamed Darcy.

"No, Darcy, I didn't!" shouted Beth.

"You're lying," Amanda whispered.

"No, I really didn't do it!" Beth said, trying to defend herself desperately as her eyes threatened to fill with tears of embarrassment and hurt. "I was drunk! I don't even remember having done a thing that night."

Amanda reached over and backslapped her hard across the face, bruising her. Beth caught her cheek in her hand, gasping before reaching over and slapping Amanda right back. She then turned to Paul, who standing not too far away laughing hysterically. She grabbed his wrist and slammed him up against the locker.

"You coming back for more?" he asked, licking his lips.

"No, you disgusting pervert! I'm making an announcement," Beth said angrily. "Okay?! I didn't willingly sleep with you that night! All I remember was that I was drunk. Y-You assaulted me!"

"She's lying!" Paul said, everyone else in the hallway believing his lies. "She wanted it. Tell them how you _begged, _you little slut! Tell them how you got on top of me and you started taking off your clothes telling me to fuck you so hard."

"I – I –!" Beth gasped out.

Paul grabbed her and slammed her against the lockers.

"Dirty whore!" someone shouted.

"SHUT UP!" Beth pushed herself away from the lockers and punched Paul in the mouth, knocking his teeth out of his mouth. Suddenly, she felt her arms being grabbed by two teachers racing out of the classrooms.

"Miss Sampson . . . Miss Sampson!" yelled one of the teachers. "Go to the principal's office right now!"

"Yeah, I love how you take their side over mine! He raped me and he lied about it that's why I fucking punched him!"

"Watch your mouth and go to Principal Carter's office right now!" yelled a teacher.

Beth felt one of the teachers grabbing her arm and steering her towards the principal's office. The whole trip there, it was the walk of shame. Beth felt her eyes burning with tears as her face went deep red.

Never did she ever think that something like this would happen to her.

She said nothing as the principal questioned her continuously, asking her why she did what she did.

She said nothing as the police arrived, questioning her with Chief Logan Sterling.

She said nothing as the police put her in handcuffs.

She said nothing when her parents arrived at the station to pick her up as the police told her she was to be on house arrest until a trial happened due to Paul Hadlock wanting to sue her.

And when her parents scolded her, asking her over and over why she did what she did, she said nothing.

She had never realized until then just how mean she was.


	5. JT Sampson

**A/N: **

**This chapter is the introduction to JT - the black Ranger**

* * *

**Chapter 5: JT Sterling**

There was always that one kid that was more than a little misunderstood.

James Thomas "JT" Sterling was that kid.

Crystal Cove High's resident "nerd", JT often found that he was the target for bullies.

Oftentimes, bullies didn't need a good reason to start treating somebody terribly. But the school's resident bullies Paul Hadlock and Brandon Munroe always gave the same excuse.

Their excuse was that JT was a "babbling, stuttering, nerd-boy freak."

Of course, JT had a higher IQ than most in his class. He had the best grades in the entire school and would most likely end up being valedictorian and graduating from high school early.

And he was fine with that.

If he graduated in his junior year, maybe he would be able to escape the hell that was his high school.

He was an average-looking kid. He did not have abs; he wasn't terribly fat, either. He wore dorky glasses, had a head of dark hair, and brown eyes. Another thing that made him stand out was that he was on the spectrum.

According to his father, he at one point had been a non-verbal autistic from age two to age four. It had taken countless amounts of therapies with special speech therapists in order to get JT speaking and communicating clearly. Now, he could speak eloquently. However, that did not mean he didn't struggle.

He still stuttered and sometimes slurred his words at times. He babbled and talked to himself constantly. He also had specific hobbies he obsessed over, such as science, math, and, he hated to say it: theater.

He was heavily involved in school play productions all throughout his middle school career. As a result, he'd gotten labeled many things, from "faggot" to "homo" because of his interests in the theatrical arts. In Crystal Cove, if you were a boy and seen doing anything less than participating in the athletic program, you might as well be wearing a skirt.

It was a true embarrassment for JT.

One would think that the bullies would leave the son of the chief of police alone.

That was far to be the case.

Add to that, he did not have that many friends at school, either. So therefore, he often made it alone. However, that did not mean he did not hear about let alone have an awareness for what was going on around him.

Just the other day, his father had arrived and handcuffed former cheerleader Beth Sampson. His father was often the one called to break up fights between Chloe Cambridge's parents. His father had his ear in everything that happened around town.

As JT walked through the halls of the high school, he noticed Chloe Cambridge standing at her locker, which was right next to his since they had the same home room class. She had earbuds plugged into her ear, and he could hear a familiar My Chemical Romance song blaring. Turning to Chloe, he said,

"Are you auditioning for _Streetcar Named Desire _this year?" he asked her.

Chloe turned her head to look towards him. He was one of the few she managed to get along with. One would think Chloe got along with everyone because she was so sweet to everyone. But she didn't have that many friends with the exception of her bandmates and the people in art club.

"Yeah, yeah, I think so," she said, managing to a smile, though it looked forced and fake. JT could see her hazel eyes were dull and there was no light there. He knew why, though. Chloe's parents' fights were something the entire town knew about. JT knew that it was something that embarrassed Chloe greatly.

"How're things at home?" he asked her.

Chloe shrugged. "What's there to say?" she asked bitterly.

JT nodded, sympathetically. Suddenly, he felt a large hand shove him hard against his locker. Turning around, he saw Brandon Munroe smirking before he shoved JT again.

Chloe turned to look towards JT. "Are you okay?" she asked.

JT nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just Brandon being a dick," he said, a little too loudly.

"What'd you say, freak?" asked Brandon, turning around to face JT.

"N-Nothing, Brandon," JT insisted, trying to save himself the pummeling he knew he would get for mouthing off. Being autistic, his voice carried out a lot louder, and sometimes, it came across as shouting even though that was never JT's intention.

"That wasn't "nothing". What did you say?" yelled Brandon.

"He said he didn't say anything, he didn't say anything. Let it go!" Chloe said.

"Shut up, emo bitch with the fighting parents!" spat Brandon in Chloe's direction, shoving her hard against her locker.

"Don't talk to her like that," JT said.

"Don't tell me what to do you babbling little freak," Brandon growled out, grabbing JT by the collar of his shirt. "Speak like that again, and you will be having a conversation with my fist you faggot!"

Brandon left by kicking JT hard in the crotch and slamming him against the lockers.

JT just leaned against the lockers, closing his eyes and breathing deeply, before turning to Chloe. "Let's get to class," he said.

Chloe nodded in agreement. JT gathered up his sketchbook and pencils, and proceeded to sit in his assigned seating in homeroom. Unfortunately, his seat was right in front of Brandon. He proceeded to sit at his desk, pulled his sketchbook out, and began to draw, before coloring in the image with some colored pencils – but not before arranging the pencils in a specific order so that they were not out of place.

"Okay," he whispered to himself. However, before he could color the image in, he felt Brandon shoving him hard and kicking his chair, before getting up and throwing JT's things off the desk. Chloe knelt over and helped JT gather his things up, before returning back to her assigned seating. Then, their homeroom teacher arrived.

"Alright, class, let's take role call. As you are probably aware, Bethany Sampson has gotten arrested for physical assault on Paul Hadlock who is in the hospital," the teacher announced.

"Shouldn't surprise me. The dirty whore begged to get touched," Brandon snarled.

"Brandon, don't say that," the teacher said.

"It's a free country," Brandon shrugged.

"Doesn't mean you should always say whatever the hell you want," Chloe said, glaring at him.

"Maybe you should go home and say that to your mommy and daddy," Brandon taunted.

"Hey! You don't get to talk to her like that," said Chloe's bandmate, Sebastian Torres. "You speak to her like that again, I'll drop kick you right on your ass. I've been having a lot of practice lately since I play the drums."

"Sebastian, Brandon, the both of you, that is enough," the teacher said.

'_Oh, God,' _thought Chloe as she burrowed her face into her hands, shaking her head. "Keep saying it, Mister Malkovich. Maybe it'll come true," she said sarcastically.

For JT, he agreed with Chloe silently as their teacher began taking role call.

He just hoped that in two years, he would be out of the toxic waste hell hole called high school.


	6. School Daze

**Chapter 6: School Daze**

Never did Billy Cranston ever think that he would be going back to high school, this time as a teacher in history and mythology.

A year ago, he'd gone on an expedition to the Middle East with his assistant from the museum, as well as Doctor Tommy Oliver. However, after the pyramid housing the body of King Tut exploded into nothing but ash, Billy instantly knew he had to hide the crystals that he had found while on the trip. So he asked Erika to hide four of the five crystals in the museum in secret, particularly in the Egyptian Mythology room. However, in his research on the crystals that had been locked away in the pyramid, he read in an old, college textbook that those crystals contained power … power of ancient animals, and that upon finding them in the pyramid, hell had been unleashed upon Earth in the form of a demigod known as Lucius. It stated in the book that Lucius was suspected to potentially have taken on the form of the serpent that tricked Adam and Eve into eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.

Whether that was true or not, Billy did not know.

But he did know he had to protect those crystals no matter what it took.

So, he decided to go from museum curator, to high school teacher.

Why he thought that would be a good idea to deal with hormonal-driven teens, Billy did not know.

Nonetheless, that did not mean he wasn't going to put his all into it.

Walking through the hallways of Crystal Cove High, he could see the familiar environment of high school kids. Though it had not occurred to Billy just how long it has been since he'd been in school. The sight of kids with their faces shoved in their cellphones was the first sight that greeted him. He remembered the good old days with Jason, Zack, Trini, Kim, Tommy, Rocky, Adam, Sha, Tanya, and Kat; how they would entertain themselves by hanging out at Ernie's Youth Center or the park. They did not have access to the technology kids these days had. There had been no such thing as social media, unless you counted the slow Wi-Fi that granted access to online chat rooms for instant messaging.

Billy breathed out a heavy sigh as he walked the halls with the newest principal, Principal Florence.

"So, why did you decide to be a high school teacher, Doctor Cranston?" she asked out of curiosity.

"I need a little normal," Billy said. "This is the closest thing to that. It's as quiet as it gets. It's not the Indiana Jones life I'd had before, but I'm starting to wonder if maybe that's a good thing."

"I suppose you're right," said Principal Florence. "So, you are in classroom 133. Good luck to you."

"Thank you." Billy smiled at his new boss and stepped into the teacher's lounge, grabbing a mug to make a cup of coffee, but he noticed there wasn't a coffee machine in sight.

"There is no coffee machine," said a teacher with red hair and blue eyes.

"Why?"

"Budget cuts," said a science teacher. "Prepare to bring your own coffee to work."

"No need to fear anything, anyone. I've got you covered," said a voice that sounded familiar. Turning around, he saw it was Ashley, the former yellow Space ranger. However, when she noticed Billy, she grinned. "Billy Cranston."

"Ashley." Billy went over and hugged her, grinning as she handed him a cup. "What are you doing here?"

"I'd started teaching here last year while you were off having your adventure in the Middle East," Ashley explained. "I'm the assistant cheer coach and gym teacher."

"So, we will be encountering each other quite frequently, I suppose," Billy said.

Ashley grinned. "I figured everyone here would be looking for coffee. Plus, a huge part of that budget cut was because money had to get put in towards the cheer squad. Alright, well, I better get to the gym and prepare. I'll see you around."

"Thanks a lot, Ashley," Billy told her.

Little did Billy realize, his quiet morning would soon be interrupted.

* * *

In the parking lot of the school, Beth Sampson sat in the passenger's side of her mother's car, her arms crossed over her chest.

Ever since the events that had occurred the year prior, Beth's world turned upside down. She lost her position as head cheerleader, had been found guilty of assault against Paul Hadlock even though he had raped her and humiliated her publicly, spent a year in a juvenile prison, and was now on severe probation for a year and for a month had daily detention.

Dressed in her black, tight jeans, blue button up shirt and grey vest, Beth felt naked not wearing her cheer uniform, especially with the ankle monitor around her ankle. Part of her probation was seven o'clock curfew and not being allowed to put her hands on Paul or Brandon.

"I hope that you learn, Bethany Clair," her mother said with a shake of her head.

"What's there to learn, Mom?" Beth asked. "Paul Hadlock assaulted me first! I don't know what else could be said!"

"How's about not being allowed to put your hands on people?" her mother demanded. "And now? Now, you're stuck in daily, after school detention for a whole month! It doesn't matter what Paul did. It's a matter of what _you _did!"

"Yeah I love how you pick his side over mine!" Beth shouted, getting out of the car and slamming the door shut behind her. As she entered the high school, she was greeted with cat calls from the students. However, the other sight that greeted her was Paul Hadlock and Brandon Munroe taunting Chloe Cambridge and JT Sterling. However, Chloe seemed to be holding her own using her mouth.

"How's about you fuck off and quit worrying about JT and what we choose to do in our free time?" Chloe yelled.

"He's a fag anyway. Why do you care?" asked Brandon.

"Oh, I don't know? Because it's not right?" Chloe retorted back. "Paul, I swear to God, you try putting your hands on me, you're done! I wouldn't mind knocking the rest of your teeth out. Not that anyone in this school would care, though. You've got nothing intelligent or nice to say anyways!"

"What did you say?" Paul shouted.

"I think you heard me loud and clear, dickwad!" Chloe growled, flipping him the bird.

"I would have to concur with her," said JT.

"I don't know what that means, freak!" Brandon said.

"It means open a dictionary and learn English you dumbass," Chloe retorted, and Paul shoved her hard. However, that was when Miles Robins stepped in.

"Hey, what the hell are you, five?" Miles demanded.

"This don't concern you, Robins!" Brandon said.

"Oh, I think it does, Munroe." Before Brandon could aim a punch at Miles, Miles dodged it and slapped Brandon hard across the face.

"Did you just _slap _me?" Brandon asked as a teacher came into the halls.

"Oh, I did! Weird, right?" Miles asked, smirking.

"You wanna know something, Miles?" Beth asked. "I'm glad you did that. Because Munroe, Hadlock, you two white trash dicks are lucky I'm on probation! Otherwise I'd knock those fillings out of your mouth, Hadlock!"

The teacher, Mrs. Holmes, stepped into the scene. "What's going on here?"

"I'll tell you what's going on here," said Paul. "I was just minding my own business, when the resident freaks of Crystal Cove High, started threatening me! And then Robins over here slapped me!"

"No, it's not fucking true!" shouted Chloe.

"He was threatening us! Now if you're stupid enough to believe them –!" JT said.

"Mr. Sterling, I do not want to hear it. You, Mr. Robins and Miss Cambridge will join Miss Sampson in detention, after school today."

"WHAT?!" shouted Miles.

"You heard me, Mr. Robins. Now go to homeroom, right now!" the teacher said.

Grumbling, the four teens proceeded to go to their homeroom class, finding that they were all in the same homeroom, but at least they did not have to share it with Brandon or Paul. Taking their seats, they noticed their Mythology teacher standing in the front of the classroom as all the other students piled in. However, when Paul and Brandon walked in, their hopes of not having homeroom diminished.

"Great, we need to share homeroom with the ignoramuses of Crystal Cove," muttered JT. However, their teacher rose from his desk.

"Good morning everyone. My name is Doctor William Cranston. I will be your history and mythology teacher. Now, just a thing or two about me. I graduated from Harvard with doctorates in history and mythology, and just last year, I'd gone on an expedition to the Middle East as I was working as a curator at Crystal Cove Museum," Billy said. "Time for role call, everyone. Daniel Alvarez … Nicholas Avant … Samuel Baker … Thomas Bright … Chloe Cambridge."

"Present," Chloe said, raising her hand.

Billy nodded, continuing to take role call. Once he finished, he said, "We will start by passing you all out a copy of my syllabus. Now, I do have some ground rules in here. No cellphones. If you have an emergency call, take it outside the classroom. Otherwise, if your phone is out, you are using it for research and only research. All writing assignments I expect to see handwritten, and they will be at least one to two pages minimum. This is an English class, so affirmative, I will be assigning you writing assignments. No food or beverage is permitted here. And lastly, every week, I will be assigning text book readings that will be due every Friday. Also, once every month, we will be viewing a movie that has to do with mythology. On the syllabus is the list of films we will be viewing in this class. Any questions anyone?"

The class shook their heads.

"Alright. Now, let's get into what the study of Mythology is," Billy said, pleased to see hands already raising to answer the question. He called upon JT. "Yes, James. However, it would suffice me to know if you have any nicknames you wish to be called upon."

"JT is fine," JT replied. "Mythology, by its definition, is a collection of myths, especially one belonging to a particular religious or cultural tradition."

"Affirmative," Billy said. "That definition was textbook perfect. Rather impressive if I may say so myself."

"Thank you," JT said.

"Now, we will be examining different types of Mythology from various cultures, and yes, religions. However, that does not mean we will be by any means studying Christianity or Islam or Judaism since I do truly wish to be respectful towards everyone's religious affiliation. Nonetheless, we will be looking at various forms of Mythology especially from Christianity regarding things such as Noah and the Flood. And, various readings will include _Lord of the Rings, _CS Lewis' works, as well as Mythology from ancient Greece. Also, we will watch movies such as _Noah, Percy Jackson and the Olympians _as well as _Sea of Monsters. _Other films that will be viewed will include _Wonder Woman, Thor, Aquaman, _and _Batman vs. Superman. _The viewing of these films are only part of your education to help you with further understanding. We will also study dreaming and watch _Inception._"

As Miles and Chloe heard this, their eyes lit up. Just knowing their teacher was up to date with such great films made them feel genuine excitement to be in the class.

They had a feeling even though they would be stuck in detention that afternoon, that Mythology class was going to be the best part of their day.

* * *

At the end of the school day, Billy was wrapping up his AP History class when Principal Florence arrived. He had plans to speak with his former assistant, Erika, at the museum in his old office about their research on the crystals he'd found in Egypt.

"So, how was your first day of classes, Dr. Cranston?" she asked him.

"It was good. Kids were well-behaved," he said.

"Well, I hate to say it, but I really need you on detention duty for today. The four kids that are in detention are waiting in the classroom for afterschool detention right now. And unfortunately, they, I believe, are all students of yours," Principal Florence said.

"Which ones?"

"James Thomas Sterling, Chloe Cambridge, Bethany Sampson, and Miles Robins. They apparently started a fight with Brandon Munroe and Paul Hadlock. However, Bethany Sampson has a month-long detention to serve, because she just got out of juvenile detention for assault on Hadlock last year. She knocked his teeth out of his mouth and she alleged that he raped her. As sad as it sounds that this happened to her, I'm only the new principal. I have to continue enforcing the punishment given to her," said Principal Florence.

"But what about Brandon and Paul? Were they punished for assaulting her?" Billy asked, concerned.

"There are no signs that Paul had raped her. There were no bruises from a struggle," the principal explained. "And the others, well, I am only told. However, I am going to investigate both Paul and Brandon, and if I catch them, they will both face retribution for their actions against students. However, I just need you to deal with James, Chloe, Bethany, and Miles."

Billy nodded, breathing out a sigh. He did not think that he would have detention duty to serve, but he knew he could not complain about it. That was especially since his student Bethany was on probation. Following Principal Florence towards the classroom where detention was, he ran a hand through his hair. He then walked into the classroom.

"Let me guess. You're in charge of us?" asked Chloe dryly.

"Affirmative," Billy said, leaning against the desk.

"This is unreal," JT said with a shake of his head. "As far as I know . . . Brandon and Paul got what they deserved."

"I'm sure that they did," Billy said. "But it takes a lot more courage to walk away than to start a fight."

"Yeah, I hear it all the damn time at home," Beth said with a heavy sigh, twirling her hair in her fingers.

"Well, look guys, I need all four of you to come with me by the Crystal Cove Museum, right now. Because I've got something that I must tend to. Here's the deal. You find something in there related to the material that will be taught in Mythology, you get extra credit," Billy said to them.

"Are you sure about that?" asked Miles.

"Certainly," Billy told them, gathering his car keys. "C'mon guys. Think of this to improve your grades before you even get homework or tests assigned to you."

"Why are you willing to do this?" asked Chloe.

"Because I may not know you guys, but I do know that you don't do anything without a real reason behind it," Billy said.

The four teens didn't say anything afterwards. They did not know why Doctor Cranston was going to be bringing them to a museum of all places to spend detention, but in a way, they were thankful that they weren't stuck in a classroom for two hours. However, Beth stopped in her tracks.

"I have to go to the ladies' room," she said.

"Go on ahead. We'll wait outside for you," Billy said.

Beth proceeded to enter the girls' bathroom with full intention to just pee and get out so she could head back to detention. However, as she walked into the bathroom, she saw two of her former teammates, Sasha and Brittany, walking out of a stall, clearly gossiping.

"Oh, hello, Beth," spat Brittany.

"Look, guys, I don't want any trouble," Beth said.

"Oh, we know. We just find it hilarious that you are spending all your time afterschool in detention rather than at cheer practice with the rest of us," said Sasha. She proceeded to pull out a photograph of Beth and the other girls at a cheer camp from almost two years ago, as well as a pair of scissors. "This is us . . . cutting you out, forever." Sasha proceeded to cut Beth out of the photograph, and she threw the piece down on the floor. Beth leaned over and picked up the portion of the photo that had her in it, and looked darkly at it.

It just reminded her of how she used to be.

She used to be such a bitch and so cruel. Seeing her former teammates turn on her like that brought forth the sickness in her stomach as she stared at herself in the mirror. She pulled her long, black, wavy hair out of its ponytail, and clutched it in her hand, glaring at it.

It was another reminder to who she used to be before she ended up going to juvie.

She knew she wanted to let it all go and cut it off.

Grabbing a chunk of her long, chest-length hair, she held it in her hand to her shoulder, and chopped it off, before going to the other side of her hair and chopping that off, too.

It was her final goodbye to who she used to be.


	7. Connection to Power

**Chapter 7: Connection to Power**

Beth walked out of the girl's bathroom after having peed, however, when she exited the bathroom, she turned heads, particularly from Miles and JT who noticed her new haircut.

However, Beth said nothing as she followed her teacher and classmates to Doctor Cranston's Jeep Grand Cherokee. Climbing into the back seat, Beth plugged in her earbuds, allowing an Ariana Grande song to flood into her ears as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the seat.

As Billy drove towards the museum, he looked next to him over at Chloe, who seemed on edge. As he looked in her eyes, he could see they were distant and dull. He could see she was wearing heavy bracelets on her wrists, and he could see her playing with her hands in her lap. He also noticed that she constantly seemed to be on a brink of anxiety. He could tell just by the way that she carried herself.

However, he pushed those thoughts aside as he continued to drive his students towards the museum, where they were to serve their detention. However, the fact that these four students had gotten into a fight with two other students was something that worried him. But also, hearing that those two students had supposedly raped Beth made him feel as though there was some victim blaming happening.

Breathing out a sigh, he pulled into the parking lot of the museum, relieved to see that Erika's car was parked there. Climbing out of the van, he turned to his students once they were out of the van.

"Alright, guys, remember. Find an artifact related to the learning material, take a photograph of what it is, write down the information, and I will give you extra credit," he said.

The four students nodded, and they followed Billy into the museum. Billy unlocked the doors and led them in.

Upon entering, they were faced with the prehistoric section of the museum. Dozens upon dozens of dinosaur skeletons were displayed, along with figurines of cave men and fossils of prehistoric plants. For JT, it was quite the sight to behold before his very eyes as they widened in fascination.

"Alright, guys, the mythology rooms are situated to your left, along with the lavatories. You will pass the Greek mythology section first, then Roman, and then Egyptian. Feel free to take photographs of anything that you find remotely compelling," Billy said. "I'm going to my old office space here; there's someone I must speak with."

"Alright, thanks, Doctor Cranston," said Miles as he led his classmates towards the mythology rooms. Once they entered the mythology section, they were hit instantly with Greek mythology first.

"Whoa," whispered Chloe, pulling out her camera for yearbook committee and beginning to take pictures of a blue and white vase that had artwork that instantly brought her a sense of curiosity. On the descriptive plaque, it read:

"_Sirens lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and singing voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island." _

Taking in the detail of the Sirens on the vase, Chloe gently put her fingers against the glass case containing the vase. For her, it was a beautiful sight to behold. She quickly pulled out a notebook from her backpack and wrote down the description of Sirens, before moving to stand near Miles who was taking in artwork of a woman surrounded by various beasts – particularly lions.

"Circe," whispered Chloe, snapping a picture.

"Who?" asked Miles.

"According to Greek mythology, Circe appears in the Oedipus Odyssey – she's believed to turn men into beasts," Chloe explained, taking in the expression on Circe's face. "Wow, there's so much _tension_ in this image."

"Yeah," Miles said.

Beth meanwhile was taking pictures of a Cyclops, which was holding a giant, wooden club. Just the expression on the monster's face alone was something Beth couldn't help but take in. She then moved to take photographs of what was stated to be Aphrodite's necklace.

'_This is beautiful,' _thought Beth as she touched the class with her fingertips. Never before did Beth ever take interest in others' beliefs and traditions. _'God, I used to be so vain. I was so self-absorbed; I couldn't see the very things that were right in front of my eyes.' _

JT, on the other hand, he took in artwork of a Hydra that was on a green and white vase. The pottery was a beautiful sight for the autistic boy to view.

"This is incredible," he whispered to himself. "To think that there were stories told about these creatures . . . though the Chinese mythology section . . . Mom would want me to see that section."

Growing up, his mother would tell him stories from Chinese folk tales, such as Mulan – not the Disney musical version, but the original folktale of Mulan. Just hearing those mythological stories of his heritage made him feel closer to his mother's family, which was of Chinese descent. He snapped his own photo of the vase containing artwork of the Hydra.

"Alright, let's look at the Roman section," said Chloe, suggesting.

"I can agree with that," JT said, happy to take up Chloe's suggestion as she led the way toward the Roman section. The minute they entered the Roman section of the museum, they were a little more than surprised to see the Roman gods were named – the names that inspired the names of the planets that orbited the solar system. Chloe pulled out her camera again as she saw artwork of Venus.

"Venus – Roman goddess of love," Chloe whispered, taking a picture.

The kids continued to venture the Roman section of the mythology wing, before JT led them towards the Egyptian room. Once they were in the Egyptian room, Beth was taken in by artwork of the goddess Isis – the goddess of magic and the mother of Horus.

"Kind of like the DC Comics superhero," whispered JT as he took a picture of Isis.

"Lover of Black Adam – who is the archenemy of Shazam," said Miles as he took in the image as well.

"She's beautiful," Beth said softly, her eyes widening in fascination.

"Everything here is," Chloe said, looking at artwork of Anubis – the god who helped prepare souls for the Underworld.

As the kids continued to venture through the Egyptian Mythology section, however, they couldn't help but feel something odd fill the air as they began to venture towards the Chinese Mythology section of the museum. As they passed a glass case, they took notice to four items inside.

They appeared to be crystals, but they had a strange aura about them. They were in the colors of red, blue, pink, and black, nested against a grey stone that was there.

"What are these?" asked Miles.

"Don't know," Beth said, her eyes fixated on the blue one in particular. Suddenly, that was when the case began shaking hard.

"W-What's happening?" asked Chloe.

"I don't know. Get behind me," Miles said, taking a protective stance in front of his classmates.

The others followed Miles' lead as they stood behind him. However, the glass shook until it broke into pieces, and the crystals seemed to call out to them. They could hear various cries . . . a dragon growl, a Phoenix cry, a Siren song, and the neighing of a centaur . . . almost like a battle cry as they each took hold of the crystals. Chloe picked up the hot pink one, and as she touched it, it seemed to burn her skin, but for some odd reason, it was not hurting her. Beth picked up the blue one and her eyes widened. Miles touched the red one and felt a surge of strength flow through him, same with JT and the black crystal.

"Wow," whispered Chloe, clutching the hot pink crystal in her hand. However, that was when they heard the doors to the museum slam open.

"Did Doctor C say anyone else was supposed to be here?" asked Beth.

"No, c'mon let's go hide! The bathrooms are around the corner," Miles said, leading the pack to where the restrooms were. Miles dragged JT into the men's room while Beth and Chloe retreated to the women's room. Chloe pressed her back hard against the door, closing her eyes hard as Beth kept her hands cupped hard over her mouth.

* * *

In her office, Erika and Billy were leaning over her desk, further researching the crystals. However, what did concern Billy was the fact that the gold one he'd found in the pyramid was missing. He'd specifically given all five to Erika, but according to Erika, on the flight home, the gold one had gotten lost in the luggage.

"_I don't know how, Billy. But at least we have the other four so we can find out what power these things contain," _she'd said to him a year ago.

Of course, Billy had been worried about the gold crystal being missing. Now, as they stood in Erika's office, they were the slamming of the doors opening.

"What's that?" asked Billy.

"I don't know." Erika reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a small handgun. "I'll go check it out."

"Okay, call me if you need anything at all. I am going to go and check on the kids," Billy said. He proceeded to exit the office, however, before he could round the corner, he noticed there were others in the museum.

The presence that was there was bone chilling. It was a man, with glowing, hot orange eyes, jet-black hair, strange tattoos, and tattered up clothes, with two creatures standing near him. One of them was a woman with long, flowing, purple hair, red lips, and alluring green eyes, dressed like a Grecian goddess, stroking the head of a lion. Another was a man who looked Chinese, dressed in Chinese armor. Just from the sight of these three individuals, Billy could pinpoint who they were exactly.

He felt in his gut these individuals were Lucius – a human manifestation of Lucifer, Cerci – a human manifestation of the Greek goddess who turned men and women alike into terrible beasts, and Wen Shen – the ancient Chinese deity responsible for plague and illness. It brought Billy a feeling of sickness as he hid behind the skeleton of the tyrannosaurus rex, breathing hard.

'_Okay, I better find the kids, and fast. Why do I have a feeling I know who this is, and what they are after?' _Billy thought as he stayed silent, creeping behind the skeletons. _'I must stay silent. I cannot allow them to know that I am here. It's dangerous enough the kids and Erika are here.'_

* * *

Chloe kept her ear pressed hard against the bathroom door, closing her eyes and breathing hard. The tension and anxiety were slowly beginning to become too much for her as she struggled with the temptation to start cutting. However, with Beth in the room with her, she knew that she couldn't do that.

Throughout all of eighth grade, Beth had gone out of her way to make Chloe's life a living hell. And before she got arrested, Beth had displayed a side of herself that Chloe and other students of Crystal Cove High hadn't seen, ever. Beth had displayed a volatile side of herself when she'd knocked out Paul Hadlock's teeth.

Chloe could feel that she was starting to get sick as her stomach rolled hard. Opening the door by a small crack, she could see so far, that the coast was clear.

"Okay, c'mon let's move," she hissed, shoving the pink crystal into her backpack.

"Are you crazy?" asked Beth.

"I'm pretty sure that there's a backway exit out of this place," Chloe said. "I don't know about you, but I am _not _just sitting around waiting for the next crazy thing to occur!"

Beth shook her head. She didn't know what Chloe was thinking. But she had to take the girl's word for it. Following Chloe out of the restroom, they saw that JT and Miles had made the same calculation. The three teens got behind Miles, who began to lead them through the halls towards the emergency exit.

However, before they could reach the exit, the four teenagers heard snarls that seemed to come from behind them. Turning around slowly, they could see horrific sights of minotaur, lions, and wolves that had glowing, red eyes.

"What the hell?" whispered Beth, shocked at the sight that was being beheld right before her eyes.

"I don't know," Miles said, taking a protective stance in front of them.

The creatures continued to stand there, snarling hard. However, the louder they growled, the crystals in their possession seemed to be connected much more intensely to them. Miles and JT suddenly felt an intense strength filling deep from within as strange auras surrounded them. Miles was surrounded by a bright, red light while JT had an aura of black light surrounding his form. Looking over at the girls, Chloe had an aura of pink surrounding her, while Beth had a blue glow around her.

"W-What's happening?" asked Chloe.

"What do we do?" asked JT as the beasts prepared to pounce forward.

"RUN!" Miles yelled, slamming the emergency exit open. The four teens began to run, but the beasts were taking off after them into the wooded area behind the museum. However, before they could get far into the woods, Chloe tripped over a boulder that had been underneath her. One of the tigers that had been chasing them pounced over her, biting hard into her leg.

"AHHHHHHHH!"

"CHLOE!" shouted Miles, running towards her just as Beth and JT went tumbling down as well.

Chloe could feel the blood seeping from the wound as she kicked the beast in the face with her good leg. However, the pain was excruciating as she let out a cry that sounded like a bird screech, and her body seemed to be engulfed with hot pink and white flames. Her hazel eyes blazed with flames as she let out another bird-like screech. Beth let out a loud scream that was high-pitched, yet booming. Blue sound waves seemed to pour past her lips as her eyes glowed a bright shade of blue. As she rose to her feet to get up, water from a nearby river seemed to pulse as she unconsciously controlled it towards the beasts.

It was a sight to behold for JT and Miles as they watched girls take on the monsters. As Miles knelt next to Chloe, he couldn't help but take notice that the glow around him seemed to intensify more as he leaned a hand onto Chloe's shoulder, especially as he swung both his legs around to kick the beast right in the jaw. The tiger released Chloe's leg, which was bleeding severely from deep wounds. Miles also noticed the way Chloe's right leg shook as he wrapped an arm around her waist and helped her up to her feet. She had sprained her ankle in her fall.

JT, on the other hand, was somehow holding his own as he kicked a minotaur while still laying on his back in the grass. He seemed to have an intense strength deep within his legs and hips as he jumped to his feet. Beth let out another sonic scream, the soundwaves piercing through the ears of the beasts and it seemed to stun them. She quickly jumped to her feet and did a backflip, managing to avoid a tiger attempting to bite into her shoulder. She quickly made her way to Miles and JT, who had Chloe supported between the two of them.

"Are you okay?" JT asked Chloe.

Chloe was crying hard as the pain in her leg continued to get worse. However, the sight of the beasts seemed to accumulate as they got larger in mass.

"Miles what do we do?" Beth asked, terrified.

Miles swallowed. "Why do you expect me to have all the answers?!"

* * *

"KIDS!" Billy shouted as he ran out into the parking lot, searching for his students. "Chloe . . . Miles . . . Beth . . . JT!"

He then heard a loud, high-pitched, sonic cry that filled the atmosphere, along with a loud, bird-like cry. It seemed to come in the direction of the woods.

"The kids," he murmured, running towards the woods where he heard loud snarls filling the air. He knew Cerci's beasts had found the kids, and that the creatures were after the crystals the kids were in possession of. Upon finding the kids' location, he saw Miles, JT, Chloe, and Beth backed up against a tree as the beasts inched closer to them. Billy ran in, sliding underneath the feet of a minotaur and drop kicking it in the stomach before rising to his feet and throwing a roundhouse kick at the tigers and wolves. The creatures let out loud whimpers before portals opened, and they cowered away. Billy then turned his attention over to his students, noticing Chloe's bad leg as he rushed forth.

As soon as Billy reached his kids, he looked at each of them before asking, "Are you guys okay?"

Miles just looked incredulously at his teacher. "What the hell was that, Dr. Cranston?" he asked.

"Look, alright? Let's just get you guys out of here and I'll explicate everything," Billy said. "Alright? It's not sound to be out here right now."

Chloe's right leg was continuing to shake violently as she put weight on it. Her knee buckled underneath her as she gasped painfully, tears streaming down her face as her free arm went to clutch her chest. Her face was going white as she began collapsing in Miles' arms.

"Chloe?" whispered JT.

Chloe could only gasp painfully as her knees continued to buckle underneath her. Billy understood what this meant.

"Miles, sit her down," he said.

"What?"

"Do as I say," Billy insisted.

Miles nodded and got Chloe sitting against the tree while Billy coaxed her to place her head in her knees. He sat next to her, anxious. He understood that Chloe had a rough homelife. Everyone in school knew. It didn't help that everyone talked about the brutal fights Chloe's mother and father got into. The amount of times JT's father had gotten called to separate Chloe's parents and put her father in a cell overnight, nobody could count. Even JT couldn't keep track of the amount of times his father had gotten the call from Miles' father to break up the fights between Dell and Kori. As Beth watched Chloe fall deep into the waters of a panic attack, she couldn't help but wince.

It was just another reminder as to how callous she'd been before she'd gotten arrested the previous year. The Friday that she'd gotten raped by Paul Hadlock, she'd shoved Chloe to the ground and insulted her terribly. She'd picked on Chloe so many times and had said so many horrible things to her and about her. Knowing Chloe suffered panic attacks like this was just another harsh reminder to Beth just how cruel she used to be.

'_And to think before I got arrested, I'd put my hands on her and hurt her. God I was so mean,' _Beth thought as she listened to the sounds of Chloe's sobs and heaving breaths.

"Chloe," Billy whispered. "Chloe, I need you to listen to me. I need you to breathe, alright?"

Chloe could only shake her head. She couldn't breathe. She felt the bile rising in her throat as her stomach began to hurt severely.

"Chloe, deep breaths," whispered Billy, reaching a hand over to gently touch the back of her neck. "Nice and easy."

Finally, Chloe managed to catch her breath as she lifted her head up from her knees slowly. Billy leaned over and got an arm underneath her knees so that he could carry her to his car. He knew he had to get the kids – Chloe especially – out of there as soon as possible. He also knew that he had to tell them about what was happening. He could only begin to imagine that Miles, Chloe, Beth, and JT had gotten their hands on the crystals he'd found in Egypt.

He knew what this meant for them. He'd just hoped that it wouldn't happen this soon to anyone. Billy slowly gathered the teenager into his arms and rose to his feet after slinging Chloe's backpack over his shoulders. Looking at Chloe's leg, he could see the deep gash that was bleeding heavily, as well as her twisted ankle. However, he also knew that he couldn't bring Chloe to a hospital, because people would ask too many questions.

"Where are we going?" JT asked, finally speaking up.

"We're going back to my domicile," Billy said.

"But she needs a hospital," JT said incredulously.

"Negative," Billy declared. "At a sanatorium, they will ask too many questions. You guys cannot afford that right now."

"But what's going on? What happened?" Miles asked.

"I'll elucidate everything after I tend to Chloe's wounds, alright?" Billy said.

With that said, Billy led the kids back to his car, placing Chloe in the passenger's seat and placing her backpack at her feet. Miles, JT, and Beth presumed their seats in the back while Billy got in the driver's seat.

He knew with no doubt that he had to explain a thing or two to his students.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Be sure to REVIEW for more! And be sure to support MarvelMaster616 and I on our story collaboration Peace in Our Time! **


	8. Explanation

**Chapter 8: Explanation**

The drive to Billy's home was tense, to say the least. The drive was silent, apart from Chloe's sniffles of pain as she sat in the passenger's side of the car.

Fortunately, for the kids, Billy's house was a ten-minute drive away, in a rather secluded area. Pulling into the drive, the kids were taken aback by the size of Billy's house, and the fact that there were no neighbors around. It was in a deserted space, and the house was relatively large in size. The large windows were shielded by curtains and blinds. Add to that, there were various, potted plants, which included cacti, out on the front deck.

Parking the car, Billy breathed out a sigh and quickly made his way around to the passenger's side of his van, moving so that he could get Chloe into the house and on the couch, so that he could at least tend to her injuries. The other kids followed silently, still in shock over what had just occurred. Beth especially seemed shaken, considering that she had a curfew due to her being on a year-long probation and she was barred from participating in cheerleading.

"I'll give you guys rides home and I'll make sure you're home on time," Billy said, as if he read the kids' minds, as he entered the house and settled Chloe on the sofa. After setting her down, he went to grab the first-aid kit he kept upstairs in his bathroom. Racing up the stairs, be made sure to grab things he knew he would need for stitches, disinfecting, and wrapping the wound up. Once he was sure that he had everything he needed, he went back down the stairs and knelt in front of Chloe, who was seated between JT and Miles, while Beth hovered off to the side.

Billy breathed out a sigh and he raised the pant leg on Chloe's jeans, examining the wound. Just as he suspected, the wound needed stitches since the bite marks were almost to the bone. Disinfecting it, he winced sympathetically as Chloe let out gasps of pain. Shortly afterwards, he stitched the wound up and bandaged it.

Satisfied that Chloe's wounds were not going to catch infection, he breathed out another sigh. After years of patching Tommy, Jason, Adam, Rocky, Kim, Aisha, and Trini up after battle, he knew a thing or two about medicine. It made him feel thankful that he knew what he was doing.

Closing his eyes, Billy closed up the first-aid kit and ran a hand through his hair, as he racked up the nerve trying to figure out how he was going to tell his students that they had touched power that would make them part of the Ranger legacy.

"Doctor Cranston," said Beth, breaking the silence. "What the hell was that? What was that back there?"

"I know you guys have got questions," Billy said. "I just do not know how to explain to you what precisely had occurred back there. Nonetheless, I also comprehend that this was to occur eventually. I just was not expecting it to happen this soon."

"And what is that?" asked Miles, repeating Beth's question.

Closing his eyes, Billy swallowed before getting up from the floor, pacing the room slightly.

'_How am I supposed to explain to these kids that those crystals they touched granted them power? How am I supposed to tell them that they are about to become Power Rangers?' _Billy thought, lifting his glasses off his nose slightly. This was the last thing that he wanted to happen. But with a new threat emerging on the horizon, he knew that he had no choice. He also understood that with this territory came explaining to them how they were organically connected to the zords.

"Doctor C?" asked JT.

Billy just breathed out another sigh again, knowing that this was happening whether he liked it or not.

'_God, I do wish that Tommy were here now, or even Jase. They'd know what to say,' _he thought. However, as he turned to face his kids, he saw the intense curiosity burning in their eyes.

He knew that he could not avoid it forever.

"In the museum, did you guys find anything there in particular?" he asked them. "Did you see anything there that looked . . . out of place?"

"Well, now that you mentioned it, yeah." Beth pulled out her blue crystal, which was glowing heavily in her hand. Chloe pulled out her hot pink one. However, the minute her skin lay contact with it, it was almost as though the pain in her leg was numbing.

"I was hoping that you wouldn't find those," Billy murmured.

"What do you mean? What are these things?" asked Miles.

"I really am not precisely certain what they are," Billy replied. "However, I do know that they contain power. I found these gems while I was away on an expedition in the Middle East with a team of mine. We ended up finding those gems in a pyramid, and the minute I picked them up to bring them back with me to put them in safekeeping, the pyramid went crumbling. Before all this, I was a curator, on a pathway to finding religious artifacts for the local museum here. After the trip went to hell, I resorted to putting my abilities elsewhere."

"And you decided to go and become a high school teacher to a bunch of hormonal-raging adolescents who have barely reached a level of maturity?" asked JT bluntly.

"Affirmative," Billy said. "I figured that I needed something stable . . . something safe. Nonetheless, the fact that you have possession of these crystals, you've been granted power beyond imagination."

"You're acting like this isn't the first time this has happened," said Miles.

"Because it's happened, more than once," Billy said. "I am precise that you all have heard the legend of the team of superheroes known to the world as the Power Rangers?"

"I thought that was just a myth," Chloe said, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"No, it wasn't. I would know, because I was Earth's first blue Ranger," Billy said, his eyes blazing with a sincerity that his students knew was real.

"Wait . . . wait, so you're saying we might be _Power Rangers?" _asked Beth, her eyes growing wide.

"Affirmative," Billy said to her. "You may follow me. There is something I must show you."

The kids nodded, before rising to their feet. Chloe was surprised to see that her leg had healed rather quickly as they followed Billy down to his basement.

"I typically never give permission for anyone to be down here. But in this case, I grant an exception to you four," Billy said to them, before opening the door to the basement and leading them downstairs. Once they arrived downstairs, they could see fully functional computers live and operating.

"Holy shit!" cursed out Beth.

"Just so you know, I don't like profanity. I'm going to let that one slide, because it was cool," Billy declared. "I designed this place as a way to keep track of every occurrence that takes place throughout the Morphin Grid. The Morphin Grid is the Power Rangers' power source, no matter which team you happen to be acquainted with. If I am not mistaken, the original Red Jason Scott is currently mentoring his own team, the Beast Morphers team. Tommy Oliver, the original green, gold, and third red, led a team of Rangers titled Dino Thunder. Now, I can only surmise it's my turn."

"This is amazing," Chloe breathed.

"If you think that _this _alone is phenomenal," Billy said with a wink. "I've got a couple of surprises. One." He tossed over to the four teens necklaces. "Those necklaces will allow you to control your crystals and morph. The armor that surrounds your body is connected naturally to your DNA; it's the same with your Zords." Billy proceeded to pull up imagery of the Zords on one of the computers. It displayed a red dragon, a pink Phoenix, a blue Siren, and a black centaur.

"Well, how do we morph?" asked JT.

"You say, "It's morphin time", and you each activate your powers by calling out the name of each mystical animal's power that is bonded to your DNA," Billy explained. "Miles, with hidden knowledge, wisdom, and strength, you will activate the red dragon zord. Chloe, like a Phoenix that rises from the ashes, you will pilot the pink Phoenix zord. Beth, you've been granted with enhanced vocal abilities, giving you the song of a siren, allowing you to control the blue siren zord. And JT, you've been granted intense strength and a horse-like speed, giving you control over the black centaur zord."

"Sweet," Miles whispered, examining his red crystal.

"But why us?" asked Chloe, staring at Billy incredulously. "What have we done to deserve being _superheroes? _What makes us so special?"

"You don't select the power. The power selects you," said Billy.

"Why would it bother picking the degenerate who got herself in jail for knocking an asshole's teeth out?" asked Beth.

"It's not about what you did in the past. It's about what you do here and now in the present," Billy said. "Everyone is worthy of having a shot at redemption, Bethany."

Suddenly, the computers began blaring throughout the room.

"Dammit," Billy whispered, going over to one of the computers. Pulling up the footage, he could see Lucius, Cerci, and Wen Shen were already on the pathway to terrorizing the city. "Well, no time to hesitate now. It looks like Cerci has brought forth more of her heinous mongrels. Go, you need to seize them."

"But we don't know how to fight them. How are we supposed to –?" asked JT.

"I'll show you guys how," Miles said. "Just follow my lead and I will tell you what to do. Just remember this." He proceeded to step into a fighting stance, bending his knees. "You keep your knees bent, or you will hit that pavement and crack your heads wide open. Also, when making a fist, you keep your thumb on the outside of your knuckles, not on the inside, and not off to the side. Chances are, if you do that, you will jam your thumb. Also, keep yourself centered. You leave yourself open, that's an invitation to getting hit. And if you hit the ground, keep your heads tucked in, to your chest, and slam your arms down to the ground. That may leave behind scratches, but it prevents head injury. From there you can roll over and kick when you're on your back."

"He's right. Go, guys, go! I'll keep watch on you from here," Billy said.

"How do we get there to the center of town?" asked Chloe.

"Your crystals will allow you to teleport from place to place," Billy said. "Okay?"

"Okay, Doctor C." Miles stepped into position, placing his crystal into the necklace around his neck. "It's morphin time! Red dragon Ranger power!" With that said, his armor formed around his body, taking on an appearance of a dragon, complete with scales and a helmet that looked like the head of a dragon.

Chloe followed his lead, saying, "Pink Phoenix Ranger power!" Her uniform took on a fiery, bird-like image, hot pink and white flames seeming to burst from her as her helmet took on a feathered appearance.

Beth followed with, "Blue siren Ranger power!" Beth's uniform was bright blue, looking almost like a mermaid with fish-like scales as a burst of water formed over her.

"Black centaur Ranger power!" shouted JT. His uniform looked like half man, half horse, the bottom portion looking like horse hooves.

"Holy crap!" Chloe said, staring at the looks of her uniform. "This is . . . This is wicked awesome!"

"Tell me about it!" Beth said with a grin.

"Alright, prepare for teleportation now," Billy said. "You guys are capable."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Doctor C," JT said.

The four teenagers pressed down on their necklaces, and could feel the odd sensation of being teleported. Bright, colorful glows surrounded each of them as they arrived at the center of town. They could see that there were tigers already flooding the streets of Crystal Cove, as well as other beasts that were towering in size. Chloe could feel a sick sensation forming in her stomach as she noticed a tiger pouncing for her.

"Chloe, you okay?" asked Miles.

"Yeah, I'm alright, Miles," Chloe said.

"Don't worry, Chloe. I'll help you handle these tigers," Beth said.

"Alright, girls. Take it from here. JT and I will start getting civilians out of here," Miles said as he and JT went off to save the civilians. Beth and Chloe each took position, taking a fighting stance.

"Ready to sing," whispered Beth, and she proceeded to let out a sonic, siren cry, blue soundwaves escaping her and hitting the tigers head-on. Chloe let out a loud, Phoenix screech, flames flickering off her as she blasted the tigers with a pyrokinetic blast. However, as a minotaur came forth, preparing to knock her off her feet, Chloe jumped up and aimed a crane kick at the beast's jaw.

"Okay, that was badass, Chloe," Beth said with a grin towards her teammate.

"Thanks," Chloe said with a grin, pounding her fist hard against Beth's before they ran forth to take out more beasts.

Meanwhile, on JT and Miles' side, they were busy leading all the civilians out of the mess. JT ran in, carrying several small children out of the way from several cyclops, as well as venomous snakes.

"Okay, Cerci, Wen Shen, and Lucius just don't know when to quit," JT said to Miles.

"I know man. I just hope the girls are holding up alright," Miles said as he aimed flip kick at a cyclops. However, they were pulled from that thought when Chloe and Beth came running up to them. "How'd you do?"

"That was almost a little too easy," Beth said.

"Well don't get cocky yet. We've still got more cleanup to do," Miles told them. However, before they could think about putting their focus towards Wen Shen, Lucius, and Cerci, the three ancient beings teleported out.

"Rats!" JT said.

"_You guys have plenty more likelihoods to get them another time," _Billy said in comms link. _"Meanwhile, you've done an exemplary job already. Come back to the basement straightway." _

"Alright, thanks Doctor C." With that said, Miles and the others teleported out, and they appeared in Billy's basement.

"Uh, Doctor C, how do we . . ." JT asked.

"Just simply say, "Power down"," Billy said with a smile.

"Power down." With that said, the uniforms vanished from the teens' bodies and they were back in their street clothes. All they could see was that their teacher was standing before them, glowing with pride.

* * *

Later that evening, it was time for the kids to go back home. However, Miles noticed the way Chloe seemed to linger behind even after Billy pulled out of the drive with Beth. He noticed that she had her arms wrapped around her stomach in a protective stance. The sun was slowly beginning to set already.

"Chloe, you alright?" Miles asked her.

Chloe managed to nod. "Yeah, I'm alright, Miles," she said.

"You want me to walk you home and make sure you get there safe?" Miles asked.

Chloe cast Miles a wide-eyed look. No one had ever once offered that. More often than not, Chloe walked home by herself because she was embarrassed at the idea of having people over at her house. Her parents' fights continued to get more violent as time went on. Her father's physical and verbal abuse only worsened every day and night. Miles knew that just as well; he had to hear it day in and day out since he lived next door to her.

"N – No, Miles, it's alright I can walk home by myself just fine," Chloe said.

"No, let me, alright? I wouldn't feel right knowing that I could walk you to your door, and I didn't. Besides, my house is right next door. It's not a burden on me," Miles told her.

Chloe shook her head. "I'm fine, Miles. Really," she said. He could see that tears were threatening to fall from her eyes. It was almost as though Chloe were in disbelief that somebody could possibly care about _her. _Miles could see deeply in her eyes the sense of worthlessness and shame. He couldn't help but imagine that there was something deeper under the surface in Chloe's home.

"Are you sure?" he asked her, continuing to persist. He just wanted the peace of mind to know that Chloe was going to get home safely.

Chloe looked down at her feet. She could tell by Miles' tone that he wasn't going to just give up. "Okay, I guess you can. But just until I reach my house," she added hastily.

Miles nodded, gently taking her hand into his so that he could lead her away from Billy's doorstep. The two teenagers walked silently until they finally reached Chloe and Miles' street. Luckily, it was quiet, which was unusual. Chloe could only guess it was because her mom was working late, and her father was passed out on the sofa, intoxicated and in a deep sleep. Once they arrived at Chloe's house, Miles gently leaned a hand onto her shoulder as she got her key out of her backpack.

"Okay, I'm good from here," she said to him.

"Are you sure?" he asked her.

Chloe nodded, unlocking the door so that she could enter. "Really, Miles, I'm fine. I promise."

Miles nodded, though he didn't look convinced at all that Chloe was truly alright. Slowly, he turned his back and went to his own house, where he knew dinner was waiting.

Chloe turned around and walked inside the house. She was relieved to find that her dad was in a drunken sleep on the couch, clutching a bottle of hard liquor in his hand. She could feel her stomach growl with a sense of hunger, given she hadn't eaten since lunch. Carefully, she slipped into the kitchen and found a glass container containing left-over baked spaghetti, with a note from her mother saying she was free to heat it up if she wanted. Carefully, she lifted the dish out of the fridge and placed it into the microwave, grabbing a fork as well as a bottle of water. Once the food was warmed up, she snuck it up to her room, hoping she would be able to eat in peace. She leaned back onto her bed carefully, minding her broken ribs that were still healing from a previous beating her father had given her days prior.

Lifting her shirt up, she could see the bruises on her ribs. Tears filled her eyes as she leaned her head back against the headboard, trying to force herself to eat. But her stomach was so filled with knots, she could only manage five bites before she felt the bile rising in her throat. She ran towards her bathroom, leaning against the toilet, throwing up.

A sob escaped her throat as she tried to brush away her tears, before she rose to her feet. She left her dinner sitting there, unforgotten, as she reached for her guitar. She decided to climb up to the rooftop and play her guitar. The soft tune filled the air as her voice carried out the song . . .

_I will not make_

_The same mistakes that you did_

_I will not let myself_

_Cause my heart so much misery_

_I will not break_

_The way you did, you fell so hard_

_I've learned the hard way_

_To never let it get that far_

_Because of you_

_I never stray too far from the sidewalk_

_Because of you_

_I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt_

_Because of you_

_I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me_

_Because of you_

_I am afraid_

_I lose my way_

_And it's not too long before you point it out_

_I cannot cry_

_Because I know that's weakness in your eyes_

_I'm forced to fake_

_A smile, a laugh everyday of my life_

_My heart can't possibly break_

_When it wasn't even whole to start with_

_Because of you_

_I never stray too far from the sidewalk_

_Because of you_

_I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt_

_Because of you_

_I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me_

_Because of you_

_I am afraid_

_I watched you die_

_I heard you cry every night in your sleep_

_I was so young_

_You should have known_

_Better than to lean on me_

_You never thought of anyone else_

_You just saw your pain_

_And now I cry in the middle of the night_

_For the same damn thing_

_Because of you_

_I never stray too far from the sidewalk_

_Because of you_

_I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt_

_Because of you_

_I try my hardest just to forget everything_

_Because of you_

_I don't know how to let anyone else in_

_Because of you_

_I'm ashamed of my life_

_Because it's empty_

_Because of you_

_I am afraid_

_Because of you_

_Because of you_

* * *

**A/N: **

**The song Chloe sang is Kelly Clarkson's "Because of You". Like with Power Rangers, I do not own any music used here in this story! **


	9. Reaching Out

**Chapter 9: Reaching Out**

The next afternoon, Billy once again found that he was serving detention duty for Bethany, once again. Nonetheless, it didn't mean that Billy wasn't going to find some way to help the teenager work through the aggression she felt.

For Billy, he saw firsthand just how deep it all ran for Beth. He'd passed her locker on the way towards preparing for homeroom, when he saw that her locker had graffiti drawn on it. On the locker door written in Sharpie was the word "whore". And when Beth had gone to open her locker, garbage had gone flying out of it, as well as rolls of toilet paper. Shortly after that had occurred when Billy had gone to help Beth gather her books, she'd received a text message of a hot dog, with the message stating she liked sausages that were "long and thick". When Billy had approached her to help her clean up her locker, he could see that Beth had been shaking with rage and that tears had been threatening to flow from her eyes.

Billy knew that Beth's issues ran deep. He also sensed that Chloe was suffering more than she was letting onto people.

This was why Billy had gathered his students to go to his home for Beth to serve detention for the day. He knew thoroughly that he had to start training these kids and whip them into shape.

"Doctor C, why did you want us to meet here for the day?" asked Chloe.

"Ranger 101," Billy told them, rolling up the sleeves of his collared shirt. "You guys need to learn how to fight, out of uniform. I felt that it was only necessary to call forth the best of the best, if only they'd get here, on time that is."

"Who did you call to meet us here? And why do we need to learn how to fight, per say? Can't Miles just teach us everything?" Beth asked.

"Miles is good, but, there's only so much one person knows. By all means, you might as well have the perspective of multiple people in order to truly learn what it takes," Billy said.

"That, he is right about," said the voice of Katherine Scott as she rounded the corner with her husband, Jason Lee Scott.

"At least you two are here, precisely on time," Billy said, grabbing Kat and Jason into embraces. "And I've got much great appreciations for you two arriving. I know you have other obligations you must adhere to."

"Hey, you said you needed us here, we're here. Plain and simple," Jason said, before turning to face the newest Ranger team. He and his wife extended hands forward. "Jason Lee and Katherine Scott."

The teens shook hands with both former Rangers. "Former teammates?" asked Chloe as she eyed Kat, who was still dressed in her signature pink.

"Yes," Kat said. "Former pink Zeo and Turbo Ranger. Jason was the original red."

"Jason, you didn't have to come out here," Billy said. "You have your own team to worry about."

"The Beast Morphers team is perfectly capable," Jason said. "I've got every ounce of confidence in them."

Billy nodded. "While you were on your way here, did you happen to see Kimberly and Tommy?"

"No," Katherine said.

However, before Jason could answer, they turned heads to see Kimberly and Tommy sprinting towards them.

"Hey, Billy, sorry for the tardiness," Kimberly said, pulling her denim jacket off to reveal her pink tank to which she had paired with ripped jeans.

"Where were you two?" asked Jason.

"It took us a while to get a sitter," Tommy explained. "Plus, J.J was throwing a fit that we were leaving him even if it was just for a couple of hours. You know how he reacted when we went off to the Middle East together, remember?"

"Affirmative," Billy said with a nod, remembering how J.J had cried for his daddy not to leave him all those months.

"Add to that, it's both his parents who are away from him. Last time I was away from my son was for my fortieth birthday," Kimberly said with a heavy sigh.

"Yeah, I know you're a good mummy," Kat said, hugging her fellow pink Ranger firmly before allowing Kimberly and Tommy to shake hands and introduce themselves to Billy's team. After doing so, Kimberly pulled her long, dark hair out of her face and into a bun.

"So, how are we going to start?" Miles asked.

"Well, first of all, you're not going to hit each other using your fists," said Jason, who had returned from retrieving punching bags from his cars. "You're going to punch these. Yes, we will spar, but I want to give you guys a different way of striking. Hitting anything with your fist is painful. And if you don't know what you're doing, and you're up against a player, like a wrestler, or a football player, you're screwed."

"That he's right," Kimberly said. "It depends on whoever you are fighting and whether or not they have experience. And personally, for me, I'd rather kick someone in the knee to get away. We are living in the age of cellphone cameras. Someone records you, and they get footage of you punching somebody, they will use it against you. Trust me on that."

"So, what are you going to start us off with?" asked JT.

"We'll start off by showing you how your fist should be when you are about to punch. Rule of thumb is keep your thumb positioned outside your knuckles to protect your thumb. You jam your thumb, you're going to experience pain unlike anything you've felt," said Tommy. "Also, I want to mention this especially for the ladies. Use your elbows and your forearms to your advantage, plain and simple. You get somebody with an elbow to the jawline, it'll knock them out. They won't be coming back from that. And also, knees; utilize that. You knee someone in the bladder or the kidneys, they won't come back from that, either. For now, make a proper fist, knees bent. If you're right-handed, keep your right leg behind you, left leg in front, and move your right foot underneath you as though you are squishing a bug underneath it. That's where most of your power comes from."

The kids nodded, complying. They proceeded to do as they were told, keeping themselves in fighting stance.

"Alright, good beginning," Jason commended. "Now, how about we pair up, and we begin practicing. We aren't sparring just yet. This is just so that you guys know where to aim if you must use your fists. Tommy, Kim, by all means, demonstrate."

"Jase are you kidding me? I'm not going to aim a punch at my wife," Tommy said, crossing his arms.

"Good then this should be fun. I like a challenge." Kimberly stepped around Tommy and surprised him by sweeping him out from underneath his legs, causing him to fall to the grass. Luckily, Tommy managed to break fall by slamming his forearms against the grass. He locked his left foot around Kim's ankle and got her in the knee, taking her down to the ground before locking her down into chokehold, both arms around her neck.

As Chloe watched, she couldn't help but feel a sickness forming in her stomach as she watched Tommy and Kimberly wrestle each other in the grass. It just reminded her of how her father would grab her and start beating her or choking her. However, she watched Tommy and Kim rise from the ground, sealing it with a kiss.

"Okay, you win. That was fair, babe," Tommy told Kimberly with a smile.

"Now, it's not going to be quite like that," Billy said, shaking his head and sharing a smile with Tommy and Kimberly. The couple chuckled.

"He's right. But that's also a piece of advice not to mess with my wife. She's a spitfire and a beast," Tommy said.

Kim's face went bright red at Tommy's words.

"Alright, let's pair up and start. Remember, just rehearse movement. Don't truly cuff anybody," Billy said. "And I will alternate between you guys, just so you know. And when we begin smiting, we will use the bags."

The kids nodded and proceeded to line up. Beth paired up with Miles, JT paired up with Tommy, and Billy lined up with Chloe.

"Are you guys ready?" Jason asked.

Chloe nodded, uncertainly. She felt nervous being stared down by Billy. She knew her teacher wouldn't hurt her and touch her. He'd tended to her injuries just the other day.

"Alright, my side will go first," Billy said. However, as he looked at Chloe, he couldn't help but worry. "Are you up to this?" he asked her quietly. "If you don't wish to do it with me you could do it with Kimberly or Katherine."

Chloe nodded. "Yeah, yeah I'll do it I'm fine."

"Alright, begin." Billy's hand formed into a fist as he went into position. Chloe saw from the corner of her eye Tommy and Beth beginning to punch the air. However, when Billy's fist came flying forward, she jumped backwards, tears coming to her eyes as she felt she was beginning to panic. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes went wide with fear.

She could see it before her eyes.

Her father coming towards her . . .

Her father coming towards her . . .

Her father starting to smite her in the face, and yell about how worthless she was . . .

She quickly ran, snatching her bag up and running into the house.

"Chloe!" Miles yelled, preparing to go after her. He knew her situation better than most. He knew of how harsh her life at home was.

However, before he could run after her, Billy turned to look towards Kimberly in silence. He spoke to her with his eyes. She seemed to get it. Maybe it was due to their past connection as spirit brother and sister as the wolf and the crane. But they both got the sense that there was something wrong with Billy's pink Ranger.

"Miles, I'll manage this. Kimberly, with me," Billy claimed.

Kimberly nodded in agreement, and they took off after Chloe. Entering the house, they could hear the teenager somewhere crying. Following the sounds of crying, they traced it to the bathroom.

"Chloe," Billy said, knocking on the door.

"You alright?" Kimberly asked.

Chloe didn't answer. She continued sitting there, sobbing. However, Kimberly leaned in. She could smell a metallic smell in the air. It hit her hard.

"She's a cutter," Kim whispered to Billy, worried. She knew the signs of someone cutting. Wearing long sleeves, covering scars with makeup and bracelets . . .

Billy nodded. Together, he and Kimberly used their combined strength to slam their bodies into the door, knocking it open. They saw Chloe sitting in the bathtub, her wrists dripping with blood. Her face was tear-soaked, and sobs were coming deep from within her chest. In her hands was a bloody boxcutter. Kimberly and Billy ran to her, closing the door quickly.

"Chloe, give me the blade," Billy whispered, his hand reaching forward.

Chloe shook her head, continuing to sob as her hands shook.

"Kim, fetch me the first aid kit, please," Billy requested. Kimberly did as he asked while Billy tried getting Chloe to surrender and hand over the boxcutter. "Chloe, please, give me the boxcutter."

Chloe shook her head again even as Billy reached over to grab the tool. He tried prying it out of her hands as Kimberly placed herself behind the pink Ranger, holding her arms.

"Chloe, surrender," Billy said in a commanding tone. "Please, just hand it over to me."

He gently pried the sharp tool away from Chloe's hand, and placed it down on the floor next to him. He grabbed a towel and soaked it with cold water. Gently, he began cleaning the cuts, pressing down to stop the bleeding. Once the bleeding stopped, he placed antibiotic cream on the cuts and wrapped Chloe's wrists in bandages.

Closing his eyes, Billy turned his head up towards Kimberly. Kim sat down in the tub next to Chloe while Billy moved in closer.

"I don't need to ask you why you do it," Kimberly whispered. "It's a way of expressing pain, and placing that blame upon yourself, because you think you deserve to suffer."

Silence fell over the three, before Billy began rolling up his pantleg on his slacks. Kimberly did the same by rolling up her pantleg on her jeans.

"You want to see ours?" Billy asked the teenager, showing her the faint scars that were on his ankle. Kimberly did the same.

"W-Why'd you – you do it?" Chloe asked through heavy breathing.

Billy closed his eyes as a memory came over him. It was a memory of before he met his friends in Angel Grove. It was a memory of when his life had been terrible.

_**Flashback**_

_Twelve-year-old Billy Cranston felt the humiliation of being lifted up and thrown into a garbage can by his classmates, Kyle Stellings and David Caulfield. His face went red as the two boys got into his face. _

_The crowd surrounding them pointed and laughed hysterically as the trashcan Billy was sitting in got pushed to the ground. The two bullies grabbed him, pulled his glasses off, and stomped on them, before dragging him to the bathroom. _

_Billy screamed as the two bullies continued dragging him until they reached the bathroom. They lifted his head and shoved it down the toilet, before flushing it. _

"_Aww, little Billy thought he could run away," mocked David as he threw Billy against the bathroom stall, punching him repeatedly in the face. "And just so you know, Cranston, if anyone finds out about this, we're gonna kill you!" _

_A kick got aimed at his stomach, and the two boys left Billy there alone, soaking wet and shaking all over . . ._

_**End of flashback**_

"That was the day it began," Billy explained. "It was also a year after my mom had passed away from breast cancer. I just – I'd felt as though my life was insignificant . . . like I was never going to ever be good enough. It wasn't until my father walked in on me doing it that I told him, and he transferred me to Angel Grove. It didn't seem like anything would ever get better, until I met Kimberly, Jason, and our friends Zack, and Trini. They made me feel as though my life was worth living. They made me feel normal, again."

"I could say the same. It – It started after my mom and dad divorced when I was nine," Kimberly admitted, her brown eyes glazing with tears. "My dad would always verbally abuse me, and – and he hit my mother. He would always tell me that I would never amount to anything . . . that I was fat . . . that no boy would ever love me or want me. But it was Jason who walked in on me doing it, and he – he stopped me. I'd also began at that time making myself throw up, too."

Chloe's eyes filled with tears as she stared down at her bandaged wrists. She sniffled.

"Do you wish to continue training?" Billy asked. "Would you feel more comfortable doing it with a woman?"

Chloe nodded, brushing the tears out of her eyes and sliding the bracelets back onto her wrists.

"You can pair up with me, alright?" Kimberly whispered.

Chloe nodded again.

* * *

After the kids left to go home, Billy sat in his home with Kimberly and Tommy. Jason and Katherine had left an hour prior, but Billy had wanted to speak with both Tommy and Kimberly in private regarding Chloe.

"Why'd you insist we say behind, Billy?" Tommy asked, looking over at his best friend in concern.

"We walked in on Chloe earlier when she'd ran off. She was cutting herself," whispered Kimberly.

"What?" Tommy asked, staring at Kimberly in worry as he reached over to pull her into his side.

Billy nodded. "She had a boxcutter, and she was self-mutilating. According to Miles, she suffers a lot at home. Her parents fight all the time. Apparently, her father speaks rather viciously to her."

"Do you think she's being abused?" Tommy asked.

Billy nodded. "As much as I abhor the thought, I do believe my estimates to be precise."

"Is it bad that I just understood what you were saying?" Tommy asked.

Billy nodded, closing his eyes.

Tommy swallowed hard, kissing Kimberly on the forehead as a shiver ran down his spine. He remembered the life he'd once had before the Olivers adopted him. He'd been adopted by an abusive foster father who would molest him, until child protective services came and got him out of there, placing him in the care of Melissa and Johnathan Oliver. The couple had taken a broken, orphaned boy and gave him a life of love. And Tommy didn't realize he'd fall in love with Kimberly, who was just as broken as he had been at the time. Her parents were divorced and she consistently blamed herself for it. Add to that, her father used to verbally abuse her and put her down.

"Tommy, Kim, what do I do?" Billy asked them.

"You be there for her," Kimberly said, her brown eyes blazing with emotion.

"And if it gets worse, you get her out of there," Tommy added. "That's the best advice that I can possibly give, Bill. Be there for her; be what she needs. Because those kids need you; just like how my Dino Thunder team had needed me. Be the father that those kids might not have. They don't know it now, but they do need you. You're not just their teacher, now. You're also their mentor, and their friend when they need it most."

Billy nodded. "Thank you, Tommy." Billy stepped into the hugs Kimberly and Tommy both offered him. "Give my Godson a hug and kiss for me."

"Of course, Billy," Kimberly said, cupping her friend's face into her hand before she and Tommy left the house.

* * *

**A/N: **

**Be sure to REVIEW for more! I . . . NEED . . . REVIEWS! And be sure to check out my story I am writing in collaboration with MarvelMaster616 titled Peace in Our Time! **


	10. Healing Broken Wings

**Chapter 10: Healing Broken Wings**

"Doctor Cranston, remind us why we are out here?" asked Miles as he, Chloe, Beth, and J.T hiked along with pathway with their teacher.

For Beth's detention hour, Billy had decided that the kids needed to do more with their training, and that they needed to be in a more open environment. Hiking along the trail leading to the woods, Billy thoroughly prepared to put them through something more rigorous. Add to that, he'd asked Ashley to meet them there, along with Eric Meyers and his wife Taylor.

Billy had asked Taylor and Eric for their assistance, mostly because he knew of Eric's history. He felt that Eric would be able to have a kinship with Chloe and Beth, given where he came from and what he suffered through. Add to that, Billy also hoped that Taylor would be able to help Chloe with building more self-esteem. He'd only told them suspicions, but it was enough for them to want to come. Unfortunately, it wasn't a guarantee, because Taylor was dealing with a sexual assault lawsuit and didn't know how long the trial was going to be.

"You're out here, because you must learn in an environment that is more open. You could be caught off guard anywhere, and what I want is to teach you how to use your environment to your greatest advantage. If you know how to utilize your surroundings, the better chances you have at survival," Billy said to them. "And I requested for someone to meet us here; a former Ranger who has had the advantage of being part of two Ranger teams."

"And why do we have to hike?" asked Beth.

"To stay in the best possible shape you can be in," Billy said. "I also requested another former Ranger to be here, with his wife. But I am not sure whether or not they will be able to make it given the shortcomings that they are currently facing."

The hike was arduous as they made their way uphill, Chloe took a long sip of her water bottle as she stayed near Beth and Miles.

"So, Beth, how are you going to keep this from your folks?" asked J.T.

"I have no idea. Part of my agreement is that I am on probation, and what comes with that isn't putting my hands on anyone, even in self-defense," Beth said, shaking her head.

"Well, if you want the God's honest, truthful opinion from me, some rules are meant to be bent," Miles said. "And in your case, Beth, I saw you when knocked Hadlock's teeth out. It was pretty badass."

"Don't encourage her," J.T said. "That's just giving her ideas. And from my observation, Miles, that's just stupid."

"Quite frankly I would have to agree," Billy said with a smile.

The kids shared a round of laughter as they continued uphill, until they finally reached a clearing that was surrounded by boulders, trees, and open land.

"Alright, everyone. Here we are, at almost the edge of the world," Billy said.

"It's gorgeous up here," whispered Chloe, taking a photo with her cellphone.

"It is quite scenic," Billy said in agreement as they heard someone else climbing up the cliff.

"I swear, Billy, if this is your idea of training –!" a voice started to say as the sight of Eric and Taylor Meyers came into view.

"I thought you were busy with a lawsuit," Billy said.

"We won," Taylor said with a shrug. "He pled guilty. Apparently, he couldn't live with himself for what he did to that nine-year-old."

"Well, I am pleased that you are here," Billy said.

"You're also lucky we found a sitter," Taylor said with a grin as she stepped into the embrace Billy offered. Eric just stuck with a simple handshake. He only allowed a few people in his life to give him full-on physical contact, and that was Taylor, as well as Wes Collins.

"Taylor, Eric, this is my team," Billy said, gesturing to the kids.

"Taylor Earnhardt-Myers, yellow Wild Force Ranger," Taylor said.

"I'm Eric, her husband the Quantum Ranger from Time Force," Eric said, eyeing each member of Billy's team. He noticed Chloe stood off to the side, wearing long-sleeves and heavy bracelets. Billy had said that the girl self-harmed. Clearly, this was her way of hiding it. He noticed the ankle monitor that Beth was keeping hidden underneath her jeans. That was when Ashley made her appearance known.

"Wait, Coach Hammond?" asked Beth is surprise.

"Yellow Turbo and Space Ranger," Billy said with a nod. "It was quite humbling to be able to pass the baton down to that team especially since I gave my powers to Rocky, who gave them to Justin Stewart, the youngest to ever be a Ranger."

"And last time I saw you, you were biting Andros' head off for the Moon mission," quipped Taylor with a smile.

"I think all the women did," Ashley said. "And Billy you know what this means, right?"

"Precisely . . . no more secret missions or creating morphers with Andros on the side," Billy muttered, his face turning red.

"So, what do you want us to teach them Billy?" asked Taylor.

"I want you to direct them on how to get off a wall and how to get out of chokeholds," Billy said, his eyes holding a stern look. "And also, how to utilize their environment to their full advantage."

Chloe's face blanched at hearing the word "chokehold." As Eric looked at the Pink Ranger, he could see the undercurrent fear in the girl's eyes. It was a fear that he was all too familiar with, given his experience and what he had gone through.

"Okay," Eric said. "Taylor, you want to demonstrate?"

Taylor nodded and proceeded to step in front of her husband, whose arm went around her throat. Taylor dropped her weight down into a squatting position and grabbed Eric's fingers, shoving his right arm off her neck and then pushing her upper body strength to roll him off her shoulder and onto the grass, but not before aiming a solid crane kick to his jaw area.

"Well that's one way of doing it," Eric said to her. "But what about the other way around?"

Taylor smirked and went down to Eric on the ground level, moving to get her hands around his throat, but Eric pushed her hands off before he rose to his feet.

"Trust me when I say how easy it is to avoid getting choked out," Taylor said. "And what this is, this isn't traditional karate. This is street fighting technique. I wish that I learned this when I had been in the air force."

"As do all of us," said Ashley. "You want to practice this?"

The kids nodded. However, Eric noticed the way Chloe seemed reluctant. He could tell by glancing at her eyes that the girl was near tears. He looked at his wife, silently telling her that maybe, Chloe would feel more comfortable practicing this exercise with a woman. As tough and mean as he was used to acting, he couldn't help but feel a connection to the newest Pink Ranger. He could tell that she didn't want to be touched specifically by males in a way that was threatening.

Taylor nodded. She knew the signs of someone being abused. She could see the terror that was residing in Chloe's eyes as she approached her. However, glancing down, she could see something through Chloe's flannel sleeve. She could see a deep, purple bruise that looked fresh, and she could tell the girl had tried covering it with makeup. It looked to be fingermarks on the girl's arm.

Taylor felt sick, especially as she moved to stand in front of Chloe to do the chokehold. The last thing that she wanted was for the girl to feel as though she was about to get hurt. However, as Taylor moved to put her hands on Chloe's throat, the girl was already backing away and starting to shake.

Chloe could feel her throat constricting as she slowly backed away and Taylor put her hands down. When she'd arrived home the previous night, Chloe's father had grabbed her arm hard enough to bruise and he had cracked a few of her ribs. Her mother had been at her night classes, and hadn't noticed at all.

Eric noticed Chloe's fear radiating off of her as he moved to stand near Miles to practice the chokehold. He could see her body shaking and how she was trying to stop herself from crying. He swallowed hard. For him, it was a sight that was unbearable to look at.

"Taylor, back away now," Eric said as Miles went over to Chloe to try and see what was wrong. Eric could also see that Beth had a look of extreme guilt on her features. Why she looked guilty, he did not know.

Miles moved to stand in front of Chloe along with Billy, blocking everyone else's view of her. As she glanced up at him, Chloe could see the genuine kindness and concern there in his eyes. She could feel him grabbing her hand in his and she could feel Billy touching her shoulder, softly. She could sense their gazes of worry burning into her. Never once had anyone bothered to care. As far as she knew, Miles was one of the few to notice anything that was wrong. She could feel Billy and Miles steering her away to talk some place more private, and Taylor and Eric following. J.T, Beth, and Ashley lingered behind. They didn't know the situation.

Once they were in a more wooded area, Chloe could feel Miles' arms coming around her as she sunk to the ground, more tears filling her eyes as she began crying. Eric had to peel his eyes away. He knew what the signs were. He knew Chloe was being abused by somebody. Someone had done this to her to make her feel worthless and weak. He knew how she felt due to he having suffered through beatings at the hands of his own father.

Chloe broke into a violent fit of sobs, her hands moving to grasp the sides of her head as Miles kept her wrapped firmly in his arms. She was choking, unable to breathe as she shuddered. Billy knelt next to her, trying to offer what comfort he could. Taylor and Eric stood off to the side, leaned against a tree.

Taylor turned her head up to her husband. She could see he was trying to hold back tears as a look of disgust filled his eyes, as well as anger. He knew. It was no longer him just assuming based on what Billy had said in an Email. He knew it was the truth.

Finally, Eric broke the silence, unable to take the sounds of Chloe's cries. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Chloe shook her head as she felt his presence moving towards her. "N – No . . . no!"

"Chloe, no one here is going to hurt you," Taylor said, moving closer.

The girl once again shook her head as Eric knelt next to her. "I – I c-can't s-say it."

"Why not?" asked Billy.

"B-Because i – if I – I do he'll j-just k-keep h-hurting me! He already . . . he already hurts me every night," Chloe choked.

Taylor closed her eyes as Eric asked the next question. "Who hurts you?" he asked her.

Miles closed his eyes as his arms tightened around his teammate. "I know her father verbally abuses her and her mother."

"Why do you know that?" asked Eric.

"Because I hear it, day in, day out," Miles said. "There's been times the cops had been called because it would get so bad. I heard it last night. I heard her dad say something along the lines to her of, "How about I go live in a cardboard box and burn this house to the ground?" He added in, to her, "Go live wherever you like. I don't care"."

"I-It's l-like I'm n-nothing I – I just c-can't do this!" Chloe half-sobbed, half-yelled.

"What about your mom?" Billy asked her.

"She-She's a-already g-got enough shit to – to deal with I can't burden her. She's – She's g-going to – to school and she's w-working d-double. M-My dad doesn't work . . ."

"He'd rather sit around and yell and complain, than step up and do the right thing," Miles said, shaking his head.

"Did he ever hit you?" Taylor whispered.

Chloe didn't answer to that. But her silence made it real. Eric could feel the bile rising in his throat as he watched Chloe sob harder in Miles' arms. He moved forward to and try and pry the girl out of the Red Ranger's arms so he could hold her. But Billy had already beaten him to the punch, pulling the girl against his chest and closing his eyes. Eric just stuck to grabbing the girl's hand into his. He lifted her shirt to see the bruises from cracked ribs. He winced silently.

"God," he whispered, gently touching the bruises with his fingers. He tried to get to Chloe's eye level. "You need to report this."

"A-And g-go w-where?" Chloe choked. "W-Where w-would I-I g-go?"

Eric closed his eyes at that realization. Chloe didn't have too many places she could run to. It reminded him too much of how his high school years had been. Until Wes' father had adopted him as a second son well into his twenties, he didn't have any place to go.

"I – I h-have n-nothing else," Chloe gasped out. "I – I j-just . . . I need to – to w-wait until – until I g-graduate, and I – I can do b-better things w-with m-my life, like g-get the f-fuck out o-of that house!"

Taylor sighed heavily as she glanced at Billy. "And wait until something else happens?" she asked.

"You should have gone to a hospital," Miles whispered as he examined Chloe's ribs. "And you should have at least iced those."

"S-Stop a-acting l-like y-you know h-how I – I f-feel!" Chloe gasped. "Y-You j-just d-don't u-understand p-parents and – and the pressure they put on you."

Miles was taken aback by those words. It was like someone had punched him in the stomach and knocked the air out of him. "If you don't think that I understand pressure, Chloe, then _fuck you! Fuck you!_"

The tears flooded his eyes as his face went into his hands. "Do you think . . . for one damn second, that I _enjoy _wrestling? I - I only do it to please my father. If I had a choice I wouldn't do it!"

"Did you ever consider telling him that you're unhappy?" asked Taylor.

"He's too pig-headed to see anybody else's point of view on anything." Miles got up from the ground and began pacing. "He-He's been that way ever since my mom passed."

Eric closed his eyes once more. "Okay," he said with a sigh, running a hand through his hair.

"Chloe, you need to tell somebody about this. You need to go to the cops, a hospital, anywhere," Taylor insisted.

"N-No! No you can't tell!" Chloe choked out. "_Please,_ promise me._ Promise me!_"

They could hear the begging in her tone. She was suffering so deeply and she was in great pain, but somehow, it was almost as though she felt she deserved it. Billy ran his hands down her back as Miles paced back and forth, swallowing. Eric shared a deep look with his wife. He knew they had to get Chloe out of this before it got worse. But at the same time, they knew Chloe didn't have any place she could go, or at least it seemed that way. It was a situation that was delicate. Add to that, her mother was being abused just as badly. It was complicated, to say the least.

As much as Billy hated it, as much as the evidence was there before his eyes, looking at his student, he knew he could not let this go. He knew Chloe didn't have many options, and neither did her mother. He knew he needed to make sure that they were both somewhere safe. He needed to make sure that they got out of that house and someplace where they would no longer need to deal with such abuse.

"Billy? Should we call in a favor from Carter and Dana?" asked Taylor.

"What could they possibly do?" asked Billy.

"Last we spoke to Carter, Dana has been spending her free time volunteering at a women's shelter in Mariner Bay," Taylor explained. "She's been providing medical care to people there, with Carter and Ryan. If I'm not mistaken, Mariner Bay is ten minutes away from here with no traffic. I'm sure she and Carter wouldn't mind helping with this."

"Call her," Billy said in agreement. "And get a warrant. I've seen enough."

Taylor nodded. "You can count on it," she said.

"Appreciations, Taylor," Billy said.

"Don't thank us yet, Billy," said Eric. "Thank us after we've won."

Suddenly, that was when they could hear a signal going off on Billy's cellphone. Glancing down, he could see that it was a signal coming from his basement.

"We must get back to my house. It looks as though Lucius and his accomplices are unleashing a monster attack upon the city," he said.

"Talk about crap timing," Miles said, leaning over to help Chloe to her feet.

"It's never good timing," Taylor said. "Go."

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	11. Saving a Lost Soul

**Chapter 11: Saving a Lost Soul**

"I still cannot believe we are doing this right now, Billy, and that you dragged us into this," said former red Lightspeed Rescue Ranger Carter Grayson from where he sat in Billy's car that night.

"Are you beginning to suggest that you do not want to partake in helping this child?" asked Billy in a serious tone.

"No, Billy. I'm not suggesting that at all. From what you said, this poor girl has been through hell. I cannot even begin to imagine any man putting his hands on women like that," Carter whispered. "But still; we're doing this, eight o'clock at night, outside her home."

"I know it sounds nuts, Carter. But it needs to happen," said Eric from where he sat with his wife in the back of the car.

"Miles is already stationed at his house. JT and Beth are in the backyard in case of anything," said Taylor.

"And Rocky's arriving soon, with his partner," said Billy. "This girl has got more people caring about her than she probably realizes."

"But still, you're talking about breaking and entering," pointed out Carter. "I want to help this girl; I do. I just think the way we are going about it is insane."

"Is it, though?" asked Dana Mitchell-Grayson. "Come on, Carter. You know Dad would be completely disappointed if you didn't do whatever necessary to help this girl get out of this situation. You of all people should have some empathy for her."

Carter nodded, feeling his throat beginning to constrict. After having lost his mother and father in the house fire his father-in-law had saved him from as a child, Carter had been in foster care. He'd been in some pretty unpleasant foster homes. He'd seen a lot as a kid; it was what had driven him to be a firefighter, and to be a Ranger in the first place. Ever since then, he did whatever it took to please Dana's father, who had become like a surrogate father for him. He owed Captain William Mitchell his life, and then some.

"Dana, you know that I do," he whispered. "You don't think the thought of this is breaking my heart? It kills me to know that this kid has been suffering."

"My brother's outside in the backyard with Beth and JT," whispered Dana.

"And Chloe said, if anything bad happens, she'll give us a signal," said Billy.

"It'll more than likely be her screaming," whispered Carter, keeping his eyes on the house.

In the backyard, Ryan Mitchell stayed crouched down on the grass next to Beth and JT. The former titanium Ranger of LSR had been raised amongst monsters before his team had rescued him. Now, he had the chance to pay that forward. He knew he had no other choice but to help Chloe out of this situation.

"I've got to be home by ten," whispered Beth, pointing to her ankle monitor.

"We'll make sure you get home right on time," said Ryan.

Beth closed her eyes. "This whole thing makes me sick. And to think about how I used to treat her, before – before what happened to me, God I was such an asshole."

"Why do you say that?" asked Ryan.

"I used to be the most respected cheerleader at school," Beth said with a rueful smile. "It's funny how quickly things change within a year. I was at some dumb house party with my "friends," and Paul Hadlock ended up taking advantage of me while I was drunk. He raped me, and he took a picture suggesting that I was sleeping around and soliciting boys at school for sexual favors. I'd punched his teeth out of his mouth for it, and that was what led to me being arrested."

"But I saw the aftermath of it. It was pretty badass how you did it," JT whispered.

"It wasn't until I got arrested that I'd realized just how mean I was," said Beth. "I was a complete bitch."

"You're redeeming yourself now, aren't you?" asked Ryan.

Beth felt moisture in her eyes. "Yeah, yeah I know. But it doesn't change that I am on probation, and that I am being blamed, when I was raped. I was raped, and nobody believes it. Nobody bothered to ask me if I was alright. Nobody bothered to know my truth."

"Well, you're fortunate that now, you've got three new friends who are willing to believe," said JT.

Beth nodded, deciding that she had to take some comfort in that.

"Besides, I think you're being a bit too hard on yourself," said Ryan. "I mean, before I became a Ranger, I was the LSR's enemy. I'd been kidnapped and raised among monsters who did whatever it took to break me to nothing. By the time they freed me, I couldn't fully escape it. I just couldn't. Because every time that I went out in the field, every time I faced one of those monsters, I was confronted with something that haunted my dreams every damn night. So, my advice is, you need to learn how to forgive yourself. You need to learn to let that go, and you need to live in the now."

Beth nodded again, taking some comfort from Ryan's words.

In the Billy's car. Billy stared at Chloe's house. He could see that it was dark in the windows. The setting sun was tinting the sky, making it harder to see inside the house. He squinted his eyes as he leaned against his car window.

Suddenly, they could hear a loud crash coming from inside the house.

"Dammit!" hissed Eric, getting out of the car.

Billy pulled out his cellphone. "Rocky, I need you here immediately. Bring Skull with you, please."

"_On it, Billy," _Rocky DeSantos said on the other line.

Suddenly, a scream was coming from inside the house, as well as sound of shattering glass. Another scream filled the air, and a loud thump sounded throughout. Carter looked over at Dana, silently signaling for her to grab her medical bag. Eric and Taylor followed closely behind as cursing suddenly could be heard.

"YOU USELESS, COCKSUCKING, UNGRATEFUL BITCH! WHY DID YOU MOTHER EVEN HAVE YOU? DO YOU THINK I EVEN WANTED A KID AND THAT I WANTED TO BE MARRIED? NO!"

Another scream filled the air, as well as a choked groan as Carter kicked the door down. Ryan did the same with the backdoor to the kitchen. What they saw made Carter and Eric see red.

Lying on the living room floor was Chloe, nearly unconscious with blood trailing from the side of her head as well as her mouth and nose. Her eyes were open nearly a slither as he moaned in pain. The right side of her face was swollen with bruises. Her wrist was at an odd angle. She seemed to clutching her ribs as Ryan came into the room with Miles, JT, and Beth.

Dana could hardly contain her gasp as she and Taylor began to make their way over to the teenager. Carter looked as though he wanted to start strangling Chloe's father as he went over to his wife. He was more than determined to keep this volatile alcoholic from laying another hand on this girl.

Dana very gently brushed back some of Chloe's hair to try and rouse her. "Miss Cambridge," she whispered. "Can you hear me?"

Chloe could only moan in pain as Carter gently took her hand, rubbing her knuckle. He could see that she possibly had a concussion. He could see the bruises on her head.

"Who the fuck are you people, invading my home?" roared Dell Cambridge.

"I believe that saving a teenage girl and her mother from an abuser isn't invasion, Mr. Cambridge," said Carter coolly. He pulled up the sleeve on his jacket, to reveal what used to be his morpher. "Carter Grayson, former red LSR Power Ranger, son-in-law of Captain William Mitchell who is father to my wife and my brother-in-law. I'm sure he'd be very interested to hear this."

The room went silent at that. Almost everyone knew about the LSR Rangers. Captain William Mitchell was a legend among Rangers and civilians alike.

"I can easily call my dad right now, and have him give his opinion," whispered Dana, trying to stay calm as she and Taylor worked together trying to get Chloe into a sitting position so that Miles could carry her out of the house. What she needed was a hospital.

"Because I don't think he'd be pleased to hear about any man putting his hands on women like this," Ryan added, speaking for his sister.

"This is _my _home! I discipline that bitch in whichever way I see fit. Who are you to comment on my parenting? GET OUT!"

"You're obviously too drunk to think rationally," spat Eric. "Taylor, you want to take it from here?"

Taylor nodded. "Yes, I do, honey. You see, I am Taylor Earhart-Meyers, wife of former Silver Guardian Eric Meyers. Now, if you knew what was good for you, you will sit down, and wait for the police to arrive, before you do anything else that will further make you look horrible. Not that anything can ever make you look good, given your daughter's reputation she has of parents fighting.

"But I promise you this: I am a prosecuting attorney, and a former Air Force member. You try doing _anything else _to this child, I will personally do whatever necessary to get her and her mother away from you. I will take you to court, I will sue you for child abuse, domestic abuse, and assault. I will win, and I will take this publicly as the whole country watches while I make you my _bitch. _So, therefor, sit on the couch, and wait for the cops to come. It would be very wise of you not to do anything else."

"And I will happily be her witness," Billy said. "Because I happen to be your daughter's homeroom teacher. I'm sure the police would be interested to hear about this, as well as the principal."

Chloe hissed in pain as she felt Dana moving her to lay her on her back. Carter gently palpated her ribs, feeling that several of them were broken. Leaning over, Carter whispered to her quietly.

"You're going to be okay. You and your mother are going to be okay," he murmured. "I promise you that. Okay?" He grabbed her left hand, only to see that it was swollen. Several bones had been broken. Miles had already come forth to move her, along with JT and Beth.

"Fine then," spat Dell. "Take her, and her whore of a mother. I'd never wanted the cunt anyway."

Dana shot the man a glare. "You're a piece of shit," she spat.

"Fucking bitch."

Carter shot the man a glare of his own at hearing him saying something like that to his wife. "Speak to my wife like that again, you'll pay. Trust me when I say that. But I must say, it gives away your character, if you think you can speak to women like that."

"I'd take his advice, and not speak to women like that," Eric said angrily. "You don't deserve to have a daughter if you think you can put your hands on her like this."

Looking over at Eric, Billy could see that he was fuming. It was only going to be a few more minutes until Eric exploded with rage.

Suddenly, they could hear Rocky, Skull, and JT's father entering the house.

"Dell Cambridge, on your knees, hands behind your head. You're under arrest for domestic battery and child abuse. You have a right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can be used against you in court of law. You have a right to an attorney, and if you cannot afford one, then one will be provided for you," said Skull, reading the older man his rights.

"Don't even bother, Eugene. He's drunk," said Eric coldly.

Skull just sighed as Rocky handcuffed Chloe's father, and together, they hauled him out the door. JT's father turned to his son and the others.

"You guys did good," he said. "Bethany, you're better off getting yourself home, before your curfew," he added. "I fear I can't make exceptions."

Beth nodded, sparing a glance at her pink Ranger who was currently being placed in Miles' arms. "I'll come see you, soon," she murmured.

Chloe groaned as Miles rose to his feet, carrying her out of the house and to Ryan's car, where Dana and Carter were going to be riding in the back seat. She could feel gentle hands touching her as Ryan began driving to the hospital.

Dana's hands passed through Chloe's hair as the girl moaned painfully. Dana could see tears streaking the younger girl's face as Chloe whimpered out, "M – My ribs . . ."

"Shhh, I know," Carter told her. "Hang in there. We'll call your mom and tell her to meet us at the hospital."

"Who – Who's p-paying for . . .?" Chloe began asked.

"Don't worry about it," Dana said. "We'll make sure that you're covered so you can get pain medicine."

Chloe's eyes stung with tears at the thought. The last thing that she wanted was for Carter and Dana to spend their hard-earned money on her. They didn't even know who she was, yet they were willing to make sure that she was covered for medical treatment. She wasn't used to having people care about her this way.

As Miles looked at Chloe, he could see that she felt as though she didn't deserve this kindness. He couldn't begin to wonder what Chloe's father had done to her over the years to make her believe that she wasn't worthy of being loved. He closed his eyes as he began imaging the torture Chloe got put through. Her head continued resting in his lap as Dana wiped the blood from her face.

"Ryan, you better hurry it up. She really needs the hospital. God only knows how many injuries she has that can lead to chronic pain," Dana said, shaking her head as she looked at Chloe's bruises.

Ryan nodded, pressing his foot on the gas a little harder. He knew that Billy and JT were following closely behind them in Billy's car, along with Taylor and Eric.

"I can only assume she won't be out in the field for a while?" asked Miles.

"She's in no condition to even try," said Carter. "But due to her Ranger DNA, she should be able to heal a little faster. However, it doesn't mean she won't need pain medication to help manage it."

"And what's going to happen when she's out of the hospital?" Miles asked as he watched Chloe begin to lose consciousness.

"We transfer her and her mother to the women's shelter in Mariner Bay," said Dana seriously. "Plus, I think it would be best for her to talk to a therapist about this." She picked up Chloe's wrists, noticing the scars from self-harming there. As soon as Carter saw the scarring, he nearly lost the contents in his stomach.

Carter closed his eyes. He was thankful he had a strong stomach. He'd seen things as a Ranger that would be enough to make the average person physically ill. However, there was something about seeing Chloe this way that he couldn't take. He didn't like it one bit. Glancing up, he saw Miles looking down at Chloe's now-sleeping form with pure concern.

"You care about her?" he asked his fellow red Ranger.

Miles swallowed. "I've lived next door to her for years. I – It's hard for me to _not _worry about what happens in that house."

Carter nodded in agreement. He reached a hand over and leaned it on Miles' shoulder. "You did the right thing. You should be proud of yourself."

"Why?" Miles asked. He felt as though he could barely make his own father proud of him.

"You got her out of there and you probably saved her life," Carter said seriously. "Not too many people in her shoes are as lucky to have the friends that she has. She's lucky that she found you guys. You cannot put that into words."

"I don't feel that proud," Miles admitted. "Ever since my mom passed I was never good enough, strong enough for my dad. I try to do everything I can to please him, and it's never enough."

"Cut yourself some slack," Carter advised. "It took me years to figure out that I should put myself first. As a Ranger, my team came before everything. I was always the one carrying the guilt and the burdens whenever we failed. In this case, you didn't fail her. You did the right thing and you protected her."

Miles swallowed. Hearing those words from a fellow red meant a lot more to him than he thought it would. "Thanks," he said as they filled pulled up in front of the hospital. Carter carefully took Chloe into his arms and he proceeded to carry her into the emergency room, rushing inside.

"Someone, help her!" he called, noticing a nurse there. "She's been assaulted!"

"Oh, God," whispered the nurse. "I need a doctor down here immediately."

Dana and Ryan ran up to them. "We can help," Ryan said. "We're Ryan Mitchell and Dana Grayson."

"Wait, you're from the Lightspeed Rescue Rangers?" asked the nurse.

Dana nodded. "Yes," she said. "Besides, I want to do what's necessary to help her. Her father did this to her. You'd best better contact her mother. My brother, husband, and I are going to work on moving her to a women's shelter that we work at in Mariner Bay. She'll stay there until she's back on her feet."

The nurse nodded just as a doctor came in with a gurney. Carter gently settled Chloe's body down before Ryan and Dana followed the doctor and nurses to the operating room. Carter moved to sit down next to Miles just as JT, Billy, Taylor, and Eric joined them.

"Ryan and Dana went into the operating room with her to start treating her," Carter informed them.

"Now there's the matter of what comes next," said Taylor. "Plus, there's also the other matter at hand, Billy. You do know that Chloe is in no condition to even be out in the field. That means, you better have something in mind."

"I do," Billy said. "And it's a risk. But I think it could work."

"Billy, I think I know what you're thinking," said Eric. "Are you sure about suiting up as a Ranger again?"

"I must admit that I have missed it," said Billy. "It's just a matter of finding the fifth crystal, and having it bond with me."

"So, that means you'll be out there with us?" asked Miles, sharing a small smile with his teacher.

"It'll be just like riding a bike," said Billy. "Besides, if I do end up finding the gold colored crystal, that means, there's a necessity. I'll need to create a new morpher. Plus, I'd have to go shopping for a new wardrobe. There's a rather large shortage of gold in there."

Miles and JT managed to crack smiles in their teacher's direction.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Be sure to REVIEW and go read my series Peace in Our Time, written in collaboration with MarvelMaster616! **


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